


Prank War

by LeyLines



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Emotional Roller Coaster, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Misunderstandings and wrong assumptions, Mutual Pining, Pranks, This was supposed to be a oneshot lol, oblivious!ryan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-05-14 10:27:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14767847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeyLines/pseuds/LeyLines
Summary: One prank leads into another…and soon enough, the joke’s on both of them.Or,When Ryan and Shane, fiercely competitive as ever, engages each other in a prank war that leads straight down the path of miscommunication, wrong assumptions, shocking realizations, and inevitable confessions.





	1. Prank's On Me, Apparently

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a one-shot, but it grew a life of its own as I was typing it, and it turned out to be so much longer than I imagined it was going to be. So I'm posting them by chapters now--I need some love from readers in order to fuel my writer juices for all the action and fluff that's gonna go down! I'm sooooo in love with the boiiiis <3 I think I've read most of the fanfics here, and it's time for me to start contributing! Enjoy!

Ryan groaned as he facepalmed for the third time in a row, standing awkwardly in front of his desk at the BuzzFeed office.

“Fuuuuuck me, _dude_ ,” he half-whined, half-laughed hysterically as he surveyed his defiled work station again. He turned around to glare at his workplace neighbor. “Really, Shane? _Really_? What, did you—whose sticky notes are these anyway? You know what, I don’t even care, man… _How many stacks did you_ _use_??”

Half the people in the crowded office floor shook with muffled laughter and pretended to bury their faces into their screens as Shane continued to sit straight and smile serenely, as if nothing was wrong. As if Ryan’s desk was not covered from top to bottom with sticky notes—sticky notes with doodles of cute ghosts. As if Shane did NOT have anything to do with it.

After a moment of unnatural silence across the whole floor—no one was looking Ryan in the eye, and everyone was struggling to pretend they’re not laughing at the whole thing but still tried their best to listen in—Shane cleared his throat, still pointedly not looking at his co-host. There was the _slight_ ghost of a smirk on his thin lips though.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, man,” Shane said calmly as he tapped away calmly on his keyboard, his amused tone colored with a feigned innocence.

Across the room, Steven knocked his tumbler off the table as he doubled over, shaking violently. Ryan strongly suspected he was laughing his ass off, and this was all Shane’s fault.

“Fuck _you_ , man,” Ryan rolled his eyes at Shane, dropping his backpack on his—thankfully spared—chair. “Fuck you so hard, Shane. I got a meeting in twenty minutes, I’m really hungry right now, and I haven’t even had coffee yet, and my fucking desk is wallpapered with Post Its!”

A lock of hair fell over Shane’s face as he turned around— _finally!_ , Ryan thought—to look at him. Oh yeah, he was definitely smiling now. Cool, collected, and casually amused, no different from his usual confident self whenever they ventured into haunted houses and abandoned asylums. Ryan was always a jittering mess whenever they started their on-site investigations, but somehow his tall partner managed to look like he was walking into a bar on his best night.

“I don’t know, Ryan,” he said, running a slender hand through his hair, looking very smug. “Maybe you can use them to take notes?”

“You gotta be ki—”

“You’re _welcome_ ,” Shane added with a huge grin, winking at him.

“Fucking Sasquatch,” Ryan grumbled as several people across the room broke down and started choking with hysterical laughter. Andrew was covering his normally stoic face, while Steven made wheezing sounds, his eyes swimming with tears. Ryan felt his ears burning—somehow, he felt both indignant _and_ amused. But mostly indignant. He shook his head again. “You’re unbelievable, man. I don’t…I can’t believe you even had the patience to do all this!”

Shane did that charming thing with nudging his glasses ever so slightly, chortling as he surveyed his work on Ryan’s desk. He did a darn good job—the Post Its were all neatly aligned and stuff—and the self-satisfied expression on his face said it all.

…wait, what? _Charming_?

“It’s just give and take, baby,” Shane said, winking cheekily.

He was most definitely referring to that time when Ryan meticulously replaced all the pictures and notes on Shane’s desk with their pictures from various Unsolved trips, and notes that, in one way or another, included him or their show. Shane had already replaced almost all of it back with his original stuff, but strangely, he opted to keep the framed picture of him and Ryan—prominently, too—right beside his computer screen.

Ryan, still surprised by his own unexpected internal comment about his BuzzFeed co-host, barely heard Shane’s amused statement. His cogs were already turning, the gears in his head coming to life. He was gonna need to think of something really good. He needed to up his game. He needed to come up with some plan to knock Sasquatch Shane’s prank revenge—because this is clearly what this whole thing was, a prank war—completely out of the water. It was _soooooo_ game on.

“I’ll get you back, Madej,” he huffed as he leaned on his chair in exasperation, clutching several small squares of paper. He had pulled some of the doodled sticky notes off the side of his desk—and now that he’s looked at them, he has to admit the little ghosts were indeed very well done. Not that he was gonna say that out loud.

Shane just shrugged, sipping his coffee. He was still smiling so coolly, damnit. “Whatever you say, Ryan.” 

* * *

 Shane was trying to focus on a bit of video editing when another notification for his work email popped up on the corner. It must have been the seventh one in the last ten minutes alone. He already had a bunch of them when he got to work this morning, but none were from contacts that he flagged as urgent so he just decided to attend to them later.

He was trying to get into “The Zone” and get some significant progress done on his task list, but that was just not going to happen if his computer kept on pinging with email notifications! He normally had a few new emails every day, working at BuzzFeed and all, but today’s incoming email seemed to be a lot more than usual. He sighed in defeat, leaning back and stretching his legs out.

Ryan was shuffling some papers suspiciously at his desk, trying to act like he wasn’t checking out Shane. Or Shane’s computer screen, for that matter. Not at all, _nope_.

Shane’s eyebrow raised as he got a couple more notifications in the next minute.

“ _Huh_ ,” he muttered, scratching his head as he frowned at his screen. He still wasn’t doing anything though. And Ryan just couldn’t help himself anymore.

“You seem to have a lot of emails there, buddy,” Ryan tried to say nonchalantly, failing clumsily at his attempt to not sound too interested. His lips were twitching with a barely suppressed grin. He was more than just interested—he was _excited_ to see Shane’s reaction to this newest development.

Shane’s brows furrowed as he finally clicked on his email tab and surveyed the list of unread emails. They all seemed to be—

… _wait a second._ Slowly, the weird tone of anticipation in Ryan’s voice—and Ryan, who was still looking at him—registered on him. He straightened up and scrolled down slowly, looking at the subject lines more closely.

“No Foot Too Small… Happy Feet Insoles… The Foot Center… _What the hell…_?”

Shane turned to Ryan, and his eyebrows furrowed even deeper as he watched the stocky guy suddenly be very interested in the contents of his almost empty backpack for no apparent reason.

“Uhh, Ryan…?” Shane said slowly, glancing back at his screen to see two more email notifications pop up on the corner. “This is weird, man. I seem to be getting a lot of emails from—”

Shane trailed off as he watched Ryan almost bury his head inside the backpack, looking comically guilty. In the background, Shane heard several more pings from his computer.

“ _Ryan_.”

Ryan emerged from his bag, all wide-eyed and looking devilish with that big smile of his. “Yeah? Uhh—you need anything, buddy?”

Shane pushed himself away from his desk, swiveling around to face Ryan completely. The other guy looked like he was ready to dive back down inside his bag at the slightest provocation, as if the backpack was some sort of fortified shelter.

“What are you looking at me for?” Ryan asked-slash-chortled, his eyes definitely twinkling with mischievous mirth.

Shane stared him down some more, then rolled his eyes after a while. He fought the urge to run his hand through his hair in exasperation. “That’s my _work_ email, man.”

“I know that, so that’s why I— _wait_ ,” Ryan stopped himself, his eyes going even wider as Shane raised a thick eyebrow at him expectantly. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about, big guy. Did you say something about emails—?”

Shane was trying to decide whether he should be pissed. He knows it took Ryan almost forever to remove all the sticky notes, but Shane even helped a bit in the end! Messing with his work email seemed to be going a bit overboard. Maybe.

“How many…?”

Ryan’s shit-eating grin faltered a bit. “Uhh, what?”

Shane took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. “How many, Bergara?”

Ryan held his hands up immediately. “Hey, calm down man! It’s not that bad, I _promise_!” He still looked wildly amused by whatever expression was on Shane’s face, but something about his eyes made Shane think Ryan wouldn’t go _that_ far. Ryan was mischievous, not mean.

Shane put his glasses back on and reached for his coffee. “You know I can just submit your email to mailing lists too, right?”

“Hold up right there! I didn’t paper _your_ desk after you trashed mine!”

“Trashed, my ass. I redecorated it,” Shane rolled his eyes as he clicked on one of the emails at random. Pictures of leather shoes filled up the screen, with a huge flashing banner for a 50% off sale. The shoes…weren’t bad at all. The store didn’t seem all that far away either—maybe he can head over there after work sometime. Of course he was gonna have to drag Ryan along with him. “Is this a Bigfoot reference?”

“I thought maybe you could, uhh, buy new shoes…?”

“You know, Ryan, I know a few websites that would send you a few audio book samples for free,” Shane said casually, sipping his coffee calmly. “Maybe you’d be interested in some, say… _horror_ _stories_?”

“ _Noooope_! No no no no, oh nooo,” Ryan laughed nervously as he dug back into his bag. He fished out a few sheets of paper and chucked it at Shane. “Hard pass on the audio books, sir, thank you very much!”

Shane glanced at the sheets perfunctorily before looking back at his cubicle neighbor.

“I don’t know how many exactly, but that’s all of it, I swear,” Ryan said, clutching his bag in front of him as if it was a shield.

Shane looked at the sheets again, and realized the block of text was nothing but websites. A whole lot of websites. He groaned at the thought of it. “ _All of them_?”

“The sticky notes were really sticky!” Ryan insisted, rubbing at a spot of leftover adhesive on his desk. “My table still feels somewhat sticky, actually.”

“I helped you take off some of them, Ryan!”

Ryan grabbed the papers and waved them at Shane matter-of-factly. “And I got you a list, man. Just…check them off or something when you unsubscribe.”

“You’re a crazy guy, Bergara,” Shane sighed, turning off his speaker. The constant pinging sound was starting to give him a headache.

“Only for you, baby,” Ryan beamed at him, his face lighting up again as he smiled from ear to ear with that thousand kilowatt signature smile of his.

Shane rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the several sheets of paper on his lap. Ryan definitely spent some thought and effort on this prank, which means he was gonna have to do better. He cracked a smile after a while, thinking of his next prank.

“Fuck you, Ryan.” It was going to be epic. “Also, ghosts aren’t real.”

“Shut up, Shane.” 

* * *

Ryan arrived at the office with the best mood ever. Today was the day his most anticipated scary movie of the year comes out in cinemas, and he has already bought a ticket online a couple of days ago. He has about three hours after work before the movie starts—plenty of time to get dinner and head to the movies. And all he had today were meetings. No real work to be done.

“Oooooh, someone’s in a good mood today,” Steven greeted him as he made his way towards his seat. “Is it prank day yet? It’s your turn, right?”

Andrew elbowed Steven in the ribs and mussed his spiky blond hair as he doubled over. “Mind your own business, Steven.”

At this point, almost everyone in their open floor plan had caught on to the apparent prank exchange between the two BuzzFeed Unsolved hosts. Some of them were even emailing him suggestions for pranks. Ryan got some interesting ideas from the many articles he’s read, but he still preferred to add a personal touch to it. _The Boogara Touch,_ he called it in his head.

Ryan, mood unfazed by the reminder of his ongoing prank war with Shane, dropped his bag cheerfully on his desk before turning back to the two. His prank was already set up—he spent a few late nights editing the video, but it’s all good now—and all he wanted to think about all day was his movie.

Without being prompted, he started voicing his excitement about the film, and how there were rumors that the production of said movie was riddled with hauntings and ghost sightings from beginning to end. Andrew made a face at the first mention of ghosts and started retreating back to his desk, but Ryan followed them cheerfully to their Worth It corner as Steven asked him curious questions about the movie. Of course, Ryan took this as a cue to discuss all the haunted locations used in the movie, and how he was considering adding them to the season’s last couple episodes.

In his unbridled excitement, Ryan didn’t notice that there was already a steaming cup of coffee on Shane’s desk—a telltale sign that Shane was already in the office. Not only was he preoccupied with tonight’s movie, he was also used to Shane waltzing in borderline late. He almost never arrived before Ryan did. Perks of living so close to the office, just a short walking distance away. _That damn lucky Sasquatch,_ he thought, his mental voice sounding suspiciously fond.

“Oops, time for me to go, guys,” Ryan said shortly after, looking at his watch. Being stuck in mandatory corporate meetings for close to six hours was going to suck, but that’s better than going through one-hour meetings six times in six different days. He wasn’t going to be an active participant of the meetings anyway, so he could just spend the time writing the script for the next Post Mortem.

“I wish I could just go to meetings too,” Steven sighed as he fired up his video editing software.

Andrew smacked him lightly on the head with a roll of folders. “We’re behind on the editing, Steven. Get on it.”

“I’ll be writing scripts during the meeting anyway, so I’m still working,” Ryan told them absent-mindedly, looking around the office one last time before he left. He was wondering why Shane hasn’t arrived yet—and also wondered why he was even looking for him. Oh well.

Ryan had already turned around and started heading to the conference rooms when he stopped and looked back at the Worth It duo.

“Is it just me, or do I smell butter and salt…?”

Andrew shifted slightly and glanced at Steven—the blond guy already had his earphones on and was attaching sound files to what looked like the main video feed. Andrew shrugged at Ryan.

“I don’t smell anything, _nope_.”

“Oh, okay,” Ryan mumbled, waving goodbye again. The comforting smell was making him want to crash at Shane’s place later tonight and watch Netflix, but he already had that movie… He shrugged dismissively when he noticed Andrew’s curious look. “I just thought it smelled like popcorn in here.” 

* * *

 

Shane was sitting in front of his desk—looking incredibly sharp and dashing in an unbuttoned white top, smart black suit, and dark denim pants—when Ryan managed to come back to their shared space, the long meetings finally over after going into overtime by almost an hour. Shane was, surprisingly, the only one left in the office.

The tall, lanky guy was lounging on his swivel chair, his ankle resting casually on one knee. He was scrolling casually on his phone, and the muted brightness of the screen was lighting up his face in a way that made Ryan swallow nervously.

Shane, at the moment, looked like….a fucking _angel_.

_An angel of destruction, to be exact,_ Ryan’s inner voice added unhelpfully. The light made his hair look black and his face glow, providing a sharp contrast that Ryan found surreally mesmerizing, and his lips were a soft-looking shell pink color.

Ryan almost tripped on a chair as he unconsciously walked forward, distracting him from staring at Shane’s stubble. He almost thought it looked… _hot_.

“Ryan, you’re back,” Shane called out cheerfully, looking up at him and putting his phone back in his pocket. “I was so bored without you!”

“Shut up, Shane,” Ryan shot back reflexively. Good thing his brain was pretty much wired to say it reflexively at this point, otherwise Shane would have noticed that his breath hitched there for a moment.

Maybe the meetings dragging on and writing scripts for several episodes at the same time short-circuited his brain somehow…?

“Uhhh….wow,” he waved a hand at Shane’s general direction as he hobbled to their corner, deciding to just point out the obvious. “You’re in a freaking suit. _Wait_ —did you confuse today with tomorrow’s party?”

There was some sort of office party tomorrow. Something about a modest celebration for breaking several internet records, not really sure which ones though. The details on the email were a bit vague, but what’s important was that there was free food, and no one had to work for the day.

Actually…Ryan’s prank had something to do with tomorrow’s party. Or rather, tomorrow’s party was going to be the stage for his prank. He asked for the cooperation of one of the event coordinators, who agreed to play a short video he made. Ryan had access to all the BuzzFeed Unsolved footage after all, even though they now have an editing team to take care of stitching together the show’s episodes. So, he used this to his advantage and put together a montage of Shane’s embarrassing antics and funny video bloopers, much like how Shane once scoured through hours and hours of Ryan’s voice-over audio files in order to create a bizarre piece that he used as a character in that damned Hot Daga of his. It was just a bit over fifteen minutes, but his editing was tight, and he was really proud of the final cut. It was going to be extremely, absolutely, satisfyingly embarrassing for Shane!

“Uhhh, so yeaaah,” Ryan said carefully as he sat down, sounding casual for the most part despite being still somewhat distracted by Shane’s outfit. “The party’s tomorrow, big guy.”

Shane flashed a slow, almost smoldering, smile at him. “I’ve got a date tonight.”

Ryan’s heart skipped an entire beat. “ _Oh._ ”

For reasons he didn’t understand, Ryan suddenly felt deflated. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it was certainly not this. A _date_. Hmmm… Of course the man had his own life but, it’s just that…Ryan was so used to, well, not hearing about dates revolving around his co-host, okay? He suddenly felt like his fingertips have been dipped in ice cold water.

It wasn’t a nice feeling, at all.

“Right, a _date_ …huh. So uhhhm… _oh yeah_ , I got a movie today,” Ryan said abruptly, remembering that he didn’t have much time if he wanted to get dinner—he wasn’t even sure anymore if he was hungry, or he’s lost appetite. His stomach was doing something weird, and he didn’t understand it. He just felt…uneasy.

Disappointed, almost…?

He got up and grabbed his bag, ready to leave. “Have fun. See you tomorrow, man.”

Shane hooked a finger into Ryan’s belt loop as he turned to go and yanked him back a little _too_ hard, almost knocking Ryan off balance.

“ _What the fuck, dude?_ ” Ryan exclaimed, clutching his chest nervously. He narrowly avoided knocking his computer off his desk, Shane’s date and the queasy stomach situation momentarily forgotten. “You _trying_ to kill me, Madej?”

“And lose my date?” Shane shook his head dramatically. “Of course not! My bad, sorry—I pulled too hard. Don’t leave without me.”

Uhhhm…what? ” _Huh_?”

Shane, for some reason, looked really amused. “So, you know that video you made for tomorrow…?”

Ryan’s jaw dropped open at the mention of his prank for tomorrow.

Shane was definitely chuckling now. “Yeaaaaah, you really shouldn’t be roping others into your pranking tendencies, bud. Especially not where other people can hear you.”

“ _Damnit_!” Ryan grimaced at his beanstalk of a co-host, realizing he got busted and just wasted all that effort for nothing. “I spent nights on that video, man!”

“Oh I watched it,” he winked at Ryan, who now felt like his lungs were doing something weird at the sight of Shane being uncharacteristically debonair, “and I enjoyed it. I really did, actually—you got some good stuff right there. Even the editing is superb, buddy! Well done.”

The genuine compliment made Ryan heart swell a bit—he realized it’s been a while since he last heard Shane praise his editing, since it’s been a while since he last handled the editing for Unsolved. And now that he’s hearing it again, he realized he may have liked it a bit—okay, a _lot—_ more than he originally thought.

“But yeah, as much as I appreciate your little montage of me, we’re gonna have to keep all that awesomeness between us two. Ghoulfriends, amirite?”

“I dunno, man,” Ryan frowned again, trying to determine whether he was feeling upset about it or not. He was happy to hear praises about his video editing, but at the same time, he felt disappointed that he couldn’t show it off like he planned—especially now that the subject himself has said the video was good! Also, this was supposed to be a _prank_. One that he spent several days on. And he wasn’t even sure if he was thrown off by the fact that his prank was being enjoyed by its intended victim, or that he just wasted—failed—his turn. It was all so confusing.

Maybe the mind-numbing meetings today took out more from him than he realized. And then there was Shane’s date, the idea bothering him somehow. It was a bizarre feeling—he shouldn’t even care, in the first place. What was it to him if Shane had a date…?

The words _Shane_ and _date_ existing in one sentence was making him feel really queasy—and maybe just a tad _angry_ , to his disbelief—so he chose to focus instead on the mundane shit…. Right, the busted prank! That’s a good place to start. He needed to cook up a new plan again—

Shane got up, put a hand on his shoulder, and patted it lightly. “If you wanna grab some dinner before the movie, we’ll have to go soon, Ryan.”

Ryan looked up and stared at Shane, dumbfounded. “Uhhh, what?”

Shane wiggled his eyebrows at Ryan, his jolly expression never faltering. “I told you I got a date tonight. We’re gonna go see the movie!”

“ _We_ ….?”

“Yep!” Shane agreed cheerfully, making the -p sound pop. “Me and my ghoulfriend, Ryan Bergara.”

Ryan frowned even more, thoroughly confused now. “But….but I already got my ticket, dude. It’s…it’s a horror movie.”

The truth was…he had been thinking of inviting Shane. But he figured the skeptic guy wouldn’t want to go see what he most definitely thought was a _stupid horror movie,_ and in the process of Ryan focusing on creating the best video prank ever, he forgot to think up ways on how to convince Shane to go see the movie with him. _Didn’t wanna handle rejection,_ more like. But yeah.

Shane clicked his tongue at him, still looking amused. “Well, remember when you sent me an email of your schedule the other day? Your movie details were on it too. Soooo, I got myself a ticket! I’m almost hurt you didn’t invite me, but hey, it worked out in the end!”

Ryan can’t believe his ears. Is Shane for _real_? “You’re really gonna watch it? With me? Tonight?”

Shane’s eyes crinkled as he flashed a boyish smile at his co-host. “Right beside you, yep!”

Ryan looked down at the floor, his ears feeling really hot. Suddenly he felt like he could eat a lot. He was hungry. And excited. Everything suddenly felt okay now! Well…everything except for his prank. And speaking of pranks…

“Wait, you’re not planning to prank me while watching the movie, are you?” Ryan asked, eyeing Shane warily. “Please _don’t_ , dude… I’ve waited for this movie for so long, and I—”

“Ryan, _relax_ ,” Shane interrupted him, his hand in Ryan’s shoulder again. He gave the guy a reassuring squeeze. “It’s still your turn.”

“But…the video…”

Shane waved a hand dismissively. “Well…your car may or may not be surrounded by a metric ton of popcorn right now.” His thin lips were twitching with a grin, his voice as deep as always. “But we’re going to watch a movie, so it’s not even really a prank anymore. Movies require popcorn! So technically, I just did you a favor. But not too much of a favor really, because you better believe I’m eating half of it—took me over a dozen trips to the microwave, you know? Mine broke, so I had to use the one at the pantry. It’s all good, man. I’m keeping your video, so I guess we’re even.”

Ryan can’t even process the logic of that, his mind half-reeling from a lot of things, but the mention of the movie and a quick glance at his watch snapped him out of his thoughts. “Uhhh sure, whatever you say, man. But you’re right, we gotta go.”

“Great! Let’s get going then!” Shane said happily, grabbing his bag and walking out with his short counterpart.

Ryan was still a bit confused, like he was missing something. But for now, one thought was clear, and the realization made Ryan smile almost giddily to himself.

Looks like he can spend the night like he usually did after all _—with Shane, eating popcorn and watching movies he loved._  

* * *

Ryan walked into the BuzzFeed office with an energetic spring in his steps. The photo album, which he was clutching happily in his arms, got done this morning. In his excitement, he decided to pick it up real quick before going to work. His attempt at that video prank last Friday was a bust, but he made good use of his weekend. And now he was ready with a brand new attempt at pranking his tall buddy.

“Morning, Ryan! Oooh, you look _happy_ ,” Daysha greeted as soon as he stepped in. She was eyeing the denim-bound book with great interest.

“Daysha! Perfect timing,” Ryan said cheerfully as he skipped over to Daysha’s desk, looking around twice to confirm that Shane wasn’t in the vicinity. Ryan already confirmed just twenty minutes ago that Shane was already in a meeting, but it wouldn’t hurt to double check. “Sooo, I got this really important thing right now—”

“Is it for your prank?” Daysha asked excitedly, taking the book and flipping through the pages. “Oh wow, this is…. _wow_.”

Ryan put his bag down and started taking out colored markers and pens as Daysha leafed through the rest of the sizeable photo album. “So anyway, the spaces below and around the pictures, I was thinking of getting you guys to write stuff for Shane. Or captions, you know? Little messages, stuff like that.”

“I love it!” Daysha squealed, wagging her eyebrows at him as she took a Sharpie and uncapped it. “Just write anywhere? Can I write more than one? Yeah? Okay, cool!”

Just as Daysha finished writing a couple of comments here and there, Jen walked in and immediately noticed them huddled together.

“Morning, everyone! Ryan, Daysha, morning. What are you guys up to?”

Daysha, apparently very much impressed by Ryan’s weekend project, held it up proudly like it was Simba on that Pride Rock scene. “Ryan’s got a _reaaaally_ interesting book here.”

“Oh, _that’s_ cool,” Jen agreed, taking one of the pens Ryan handed her. “That’s just awesome, Ryan. Almost like a scrapbook.”

Ryan considered that for a while, then realized that Jen was actually right. The photo album, which consisted of close to a hundred pictures—maybe more, actually—printed out and organized in a denim-bound book made of Kraft pages, was designed to hold captions and tiny notes just like a scrapbook.

“These are really awesome pictures too,” Jen chuckled as she sat down and scribbled captions wherever she saw fit. “Either Shane is napping a lot, or you’re just really good at sneaking pictures of him passed out!”

Ryan surveyed the room again, making sure the coast was still clear. He could read the comments they were scribbling, and he was thrilled about how entertaining this project was turning out to be. Maybe even better than last week’s video.

“I’d say it’s a combination of both,” he grinned, thinking of all the times he watched Shane fall asleep slowly whenever they were alone.

His montage of Shane’s embarrassing moments may have been busted, but Ryan has another theme that he wanted to make a prank out of. He realized that he had a ton of pictures on his phone of Shane asleep when he was sorting his gallery out, and he figured he might as well use it now. And to minimize the chance of getting caught again, he decided to just print the pictures. The “scrapbook” aspect was actually suggested by a helpful clerk at the photo lab. Boy was he glad now he agreed to get the slightly pricier Kraft album!

“Is this from the limo when we did that IV therapy thing for Test Friends?” Jen asked curiously, looking closer at one of the pictures. Ryan nodded. “Oh wow, he’s really out!”

“This one looks incredibly domestic,” Daysha chuckled, pointing at a picture of Shane dozing off in a couch, a jacket stretched out on top of him, Ryan sticking his tongue out as he took the picture. “Where is this? Doesn’t look like any of our couches here.”

Ryan scratched the back of his neck, attention caught by the word _domestic_.

“That’s at Shane’s place,” he shrugged offhandedly, making Jen whistle. “We usually watch Netflix or play some games after work, chilling. Or sometimes we just have a big healthy dinner, usually after we have a shoot.”

Daysha and Jen exchanged knowing smiles and loaded glances.

“What?” Ryan asked, unsure of how to interpret the wagging eyebrows and smug smirks on the two’s faces. Before he could get an answer though, the Try Guys arrived at the office in a typical, loud fashion. And before Ryan could even blink, Daysha was already over there at their corner, photo album and pens in hand, explaining enthusiastically what Ryan’s project—this was starting to NOT feel like a prank at all—was all about. 

* * *

Shane slowly shook his head as he perused the album, an uncharacteristically wide smile stretching his thin lips. “Oh, _Ryan…”_

“ _What_?” the shorter man groaned petulantly. Shane had absolutely no business smiling like that—smiling like….like Ryan just gave him the best birthday gift ever! The photo album was a prank! A P-R-A-N-K. Shane was supposed to be embarrassed! Ryan had solid evidence of him sleeping with abandon, even during company hours!

“This is unbelievable, Ry,” Shane said almost adoringly. He looked closer at a picture of them in one of the waiting areas in LAX—Shane’s face was covered with Ryan’s cap, and Ryan was wearing Shane’s scarf around him like a makeshift blanket, making a funny face at the camera. “You’ve taken so many pictures with me just sleeping in the background—”

“That’s your own fault! You shouldn’t have—”

“I wish you woke me up,” Shane finished, this time looking at a picture of them in the BuzzFeed office, Shane sleeping with his arms crossed on the desk. One of the office blankets was draped over him, but he can still make out the shirt he was wearing—he bought it last week. “Some of these are from way back, but a few are pretty recent too.”

“I just find it amusing, I guess,” Ryan offered as a fractured explanation of why he’s been snapping pictures of his sleeping co-host, still confused by Shane’s reactions that were nowhere near what he imagined they would be. “You do nap a lot though.”

“Yeah, well…”

Ryan waited, but it didn’t seem like Shane was going to finish the sentence. “Well what?”

Shane pressed his lips together and shrugged. “I dunno. I just fall asleep faster here, I guess. I sleep better, almost.”

Ryan scooted closer as someone walked by behind him in the pantry—for a moment there, he forgot where they even were. “Here, you mean…the office?”

Shane made a face. “Sure, you could say that.”

Ryan reached for the album and thumbed through the next few pages. “Well….more than half of these aren’t even in the office, big guy. Airport. Park bench. Shitty roadside diner. Haunted house patio. You sleep everywhere!”

“Hmmmm, you have a point there,” Shane muttered, taking the album back.

“You okay, buddy?” Ryan couldn’t help but ask, really bemused by how well Shane was taking this whole prank-that-doesn’t-even-feel-like-one. “Are you maybe…not getting enough sleep?”

Shane made a snorting sound before reaching over and mussing his co-host’s hair.

“ _Heyyyyy_!” Ryan protested, grabbing his hand.

“If you stop dragging me to haunted locations and making me sleep on shitty floors using too-small sleeping bags, maybe I won’t be so sleepy,” Shane said.

“Do you want me to stop?”

He cracked a small smile. “Not really, no.”

Ryan didn’t know what else to say to that. If it was any other time, he’d give Shane shit about wanting to go with him to all the spooky places, tease him about having a death wish or something. But something about Shane’s almost-serene expression left him uncertain how to proceed.

Shane chuckled at some of the funnier captions written by their BuzzFeed colleagues, making Ryan wonder if Shane even knew this was supposed to be his payback prank. He seemed to be…well, for lack of a better word, _enjoying_ it.

“I’m almost speechless,” Shane breathed, closing the book and turning to Ryan with a big grin. “Thank you, Ryan.”

“—the hell, man…”

“Hmmm?”

Ryan grimaced at him. “What the hell, man…this is a _prank_! You know, like…like…you’re not supposed to thank me! This is Exhibit A! You sleep at your job, you sleep in weird places! God knows where else you sleep.”

Shane just chuckled and eyed Ryan coolly. “I think it’s Exhibit A that a certain someone keeps on putting blankets over me. I _thiiiiink_ …I’ve got a Bergardian angel!”

“Shut up, dude,” he shot back reflexively, but even he knows that it didn’t have as much feeling in it as it normally did. “And that was super cheesy, man. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Shane just stared at the album, long fingers playing with the denim. Ryan realized belatedly that the denim cover was almost the same shade as Shane’s favorite jean jacket.

“I have nightmares when I sleep at my place.”

Ryan almost didn’t hear the whispered words. The suddenly somber air between them made him consider his next words slowly.

“Are you alright…? Uhhh…how bad are they?”

Shane just shrugged.

Ryan didn’t know what else to say for a while. But eventually, Shane took a deep breath and seemed to lighten up a bit.

“It’s not all the time,” he clarified, picking up the book carefully. He seemed to be thinking to himself for a short while, then made another dismissive expression. “I sleep uneventfully when we watch Netflix and stuff, I guess.”

“Oh. Uhhh, you want me to—?” Ryan trailed off as soon as he realized what he was saying. He bit his lip and tried not to gawk at the man beside him.

Shane turned around slowly to look at him, their gazes meeting. But his lips remained pressed together.

Ryan felt a stirring of confusion, worry…and anticipation. It was a weird cocktail of feelings. But instead of dwelling on the thought too much, he just blurted out what he was originally going to say so naturally anyway.

“Want me to crash at your place tonight? There’s this movie I wanna check out anyway,” he added, trying to sound as casual as possible. He wasn’t entirely sure if he succeeded at that. “We could just order some pizza, grab some drinks on the way.”

Finally, a smile cracked that somber expression, and Shane’s eyes shined with its usual mirth. “Sounds like a plan.”

Ryan smiled shakily, slapping his co-host’s shoulder in order to mask the sudden rush of nerves. “Alright, man.”

He sincerely hoped the burning feeling on his cheeks didn’t translate into a blush, but judging by Shane’s uncharacteristic stare, his own face most likely betrayed him badly. _Damn._  

* * *

Ryan stepped into the office and was immediately greeted by a loud round of cheers and a scattering of applause from his co-workers. He _kind_ of expected it, but seeing it and hearing it actually happen still made him feel incredibly flattered. He glanced nervously at his feet, not used to this kind of attention.

“Happy Unsolved Anniversary, Ryan!” Daysha squealed happily, wrapping him in a tight bear hug. “I’m so proud of you, oh my gosh. I’m so happy for you I’m getting emotional!”

When she finally let him go, Jen appeared beside them and enthusiastically handed him a packed tote bag. It was, he realized, one of the totes they sell as merch items for Unsolved.

“Congratulations on another year, Ryan!” Jen smiled warmly. “That’s a gift from all of us.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you so much,” Ryan managed to get out despite the nerves and the big smile on his face. “You even bought our merch!”

Jen chuckled. “It seemed fitting. We thought it was a nice touch. Check out the contents though!”

Ryan looked around at the gathering crowd before turning his attention to the tote—he saw the Try Guys and the Worth It duo, plus a few others. Even Adam was there—and he was holding up a piece of paper with _Happy Anniversary to BuzzFeed Unsolved_ written on it using a black Sharpie.

“Oh wow, there are a lot of you,” he laughed nervously, trying not to hyperventilate. “I…I dunno what to say—”

Ryan exhaled shakily as he proceeded to look into the heavy tote, hoping this would calm his nerves somewhat. His hands were shaking ever so slightly.

“I didn’t expect all of this, I’m surprised.”

Daysha patted him on the shoulder as he pawed through the contents of the bag. “You have a really good show, Ryan. We’re really happy for you.”

Ryan analyzed the inside and found a sizeable haul of office supplies and other interesting things. There were color-coded paperclips and folders (his research notes were always color-coded), and there were several stacks of custom-made notepads with the word _Unsolved_ printed on the background. There was even a nice-looking traveler’s notebook in the pile.

“Oh my God, this is so cool,” Ryan breathed excitedly as he fished out a leather cord bracelet with an _Unsolved_ pendant on it. “This is so freaking awesome. I can’t believe it…”

Jen turned around and gave the crowd a triumphant thumbs up sign.

“Glad you liked it!” Steven called out from somewhere in the back, sounding as jolly as always.

Ryan couldn’t help but smile again, feeling really touched by the gesture. “Thanks, everyone! This is incredible.”

He was truly happy—he really was. _Unsolved_ was his baby, after all. And celebrating the day it got signed officially was humbling and yet so fulfilling. It was his life’s biggest project so far, and he was fiercely proud of it. But…amidst the cheers and the happy feelings, he could feel the ghost of a nagging thought. An unsettling feeling, like something was missing. It tickled his gut uncomfortably. He couldn’t explain it, but it was there.

Like a gray cloud marring a bright, sunny sky. Or a glass full of water at the very edge of a table. Or…a missing piece smack in the middle of an otherwise complete puzzle.

A few more minutes of personal greetings and mumbled thanks rolled by, and soon the crowd started dispersing back to their own desks. Eventually, Ryan managed to settle down into his chair, his desk occupied by the tote bag and its contents. He felt weirdly exhausted, like he was mentally and emotionally drained.

He turned his back to the desk and faced the large window without really seeing anything, just letting the filtered sunlight wash over him. It was something he always did whenever his head got tired from overthinking, mostly happening whenever he was researching possible stories for future episodes.

And like always, it did help him calm down a bit. The nerves were mostly gone now, but…with its disappearance also came the stark realization of the one thing that somehow felt really wrong to him.

He pulled his phone out, but there was nothing on his lock screen but the calendar and the clock. No new messages, no missed calls. Nothing. He was left staring at his own somber face as his phone went back to sleep.

The feeling of defeat welled inside him as he realized that, despite all the reasons for him to be beyond happy right now, all of this felt shockingly incomplete without Shane.

“ _Damnit,”_ he whispered angrily to himself as he realized he was…sulking. He knew it was probably an immature thought, but he felt like everyone else’s greetings and cheers were no match against a cheeky smile from Shane and a half-meant term of endearment. _Not even close,_ he thought bitterly. Shane probably had no real reason to celebrate this date, since he joined Unsolved at a later time, and Ryan _knew_ that. He knew that, but…he still thought Shane was going to be the first one to congratulate him on another year on this epic journey they now shared.

Hell…it won’t even be Unsolved anymore if it wasn’t Shane beside him. Sure, the concept was born without Shane as a part of it, but his presence changed the show in ways Ryan found difficult to put into words. It’s like Shane and him, as a package deal, was the show itself. If you take away one, the show wasn’t going to be the same. Ryan came up with the project, but Shane made it grow. They both did— _together_.

…and yet Shane wasn’t here.

He felt his breath hitch as his vision blurred ever so slightly, his chest seized by a sharp spike of emotion—

“Am I late to the party?” a familiar deep voice whispered huskily behind him, sending bone-deep shivers down his spine. Ryan almost jumped to his feet, and nearly smacked his face on a big bouquet of sunflowers.

“ _Shane_!” Ryan croaked, looking up at the towering guy who appeared beside him out of nowhere. The nerves were suddenly back full force, but it had a different flavor altogether. The smile on Shane’s lips made him feel…. _weak_.

“Ryan,” was all he said, looking him straight in the eyes, smile unwavering.

Ryan, out of nowhere, felt like he was getting swept away by a massive wave of unrelenting warmth. The sadness and emptiness that he was feeling just moments ago was ripped from him without warning. The sensation was almost dizzying. For a moment there, Ryan felt himself being overwhelmed by Shane’s steady gaze on him. A familiar feeling of heat stirred in his belly…

Ryan jumped up and almost pushed Shane away, his face burning. _What the hell was that?_

“ _Shane_! I…I didn’t see you,” Ryan stammered, pacing back and forth almost manically in an attempt to distract his partner from his undoubtedly weird reactions. “You _startled_ me, dude.”

“Are you okay, buddy?” Shane asked gently.

Ryan managed a reply, still avoiding looking at Shane. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just surprised.”

From the corner of his eye, he could tell that Shane obviously didn’t buy it, but the tall guy didn’t push it either. Ryan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He couldn’t tell if it was working—he was hyperaware of Shane’s presence beside him, and it was both calming and electrifying at the same time.

Shane put the bouquet down on Ryan’s desk and sat down, his eyes never leaving Ryan.

“I know I wasn’t your first co-host, but I’m still happy to be a part of Unsolved,” Shane said slowly, his tone playing a dangerous game between sounding dead serious and seductively playful. “I may not have been the first…but I guess you can call me…your _better half_ now?”

Ryan, trained by years of conditioning, whipped around immediately and shot back with a nervous smile, “Shut up, Shane!”

This time, he almost smacked his face against a cake. Which was _on fire_...?

“Happy second anniversary, Ryan!” Shane said happily, holding up a horror-themed cake with little tombstones and cute blob ghosts. “Blow your candles!”

“Are…are you serious?” Ryan asked skeptically, feeling a bit of the nerves go and settle back down into his normal rhythm with Shane.

Shane’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “Yep! I didn’t get candles for nothing, buddy. So make a wish, and blow.”

Ryan leaned closer, then paused to think of a suitable wish.

“…”

Shane looked at him expectantly, but Ryan just shook his head and blew the candles out.

“Did you make a wish?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“…and?”

Ryan snorted. “I’m not gonna tell you, dipshit.”

Shane laughed. “Oooooh, someone’s being mean to me.”

“That’s just not how it works. If you tell someone your wishes, the wish won’t come true! You should know this by now! Unless you don’t have cakes and stuff where you came from, Sasquatch.”

Shane just laughed some more as he put the cake down on his desk—Ryan’s was not only cluttered, it was also already full. “We can eat this later, or we can share it with the others. What do you wanna do?”

Ryan stared at him. “Uhhhm…”

“I don’t mind either way,” Shane added casually, but something about the way he said it made Ryan feel that he meant the complete opposite. He looked at the cake again, and knew that it was custom-made.

He hoped he made the right decision. “I don’t think anyone would like a ghoul cake, so I think I’ll just keep it to myself.”

“If you say so,” Shane said just as casually, but even Ryan could feel the approval radiating off of his tall frame. “They got us matching bracelets, by the way.”

“Oooooh, you’re right!” Ryan realized, looking at the bracelet hanging on Shane’s thin wrist. “ _Wow_.” He looked at his own wrist, and felt a tug of happiness at the sight of the twin bracelets linking them together in an intangible way.

The realization, along with everything else that just happened, left Ryan suddenly feeling tired. His nerves were on a hair trigger. His emotions have been on a crazy roller coaster within the last hour alone. Confusion was the general theme, highlighted by his never-ending nerves of course. So when Shane said nothing else, Ryan found himself speechless as well. It was very uncharacteristic of him.

They just stared around at random stuff and shuffled things mindlessly for a while, not really knowing what to talk about at the moment. Ryan was working himself up to ask what Shane’s plans for the evening were, but he just couldn’t gather himself to do it. He was absolutely sure his voice was going to crack the moment he spoke, and he’s had enough ridiculous reactions for the day. Eventually, Shane got up to his feet.

“I’m just gonna go put this in the fridge,” he said, carefully putting the cake back into its box. Right before Shane turned to go, Ryan decided to voice his thoughts—well, one of them anyway.

He tried to sound casual. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but what’s up with the cake and the flowers…?” His question didn’t sound right even to his ears, but he didn’t know what else to say. He felt like he was wording it wrong…but he was way too confused to figure it out anytime soon. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too…cheesy, I guess?”

Shane paused. “Hmmm… Think of it as payback for the scrapbook.”

“It was just an album,” Ryan corrected on impulse, then frowned. “That was a prank.”

“A prank, huh?” Ryan couldn’t tell for sure, but for a moment, he thought that Shane sounded a bit stiffer than before. “Well then, yeah…whatever. Think of this as payback.”

“Did you…do something to the cake?”

Shane snorted. “No.”

Ryan’s brows pressed together in confusion. “Then, I don’t get it.”

“Yeah, it seems you don’t,” Shane mumbled.

“What was that?” Ryan asked, not hearing what Shane said as laughter from across the room drowned out the sound.

Shane exhaled, then turned to him with a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about it, Ryan.”

“Is everything...okay?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?”

Ryan didn’t really have an answer. “I don’t know. I’m not sure…”

Shane pressed his lips together for a second, then shook his head and walked back to Ryan. Without warning, he reached over and tousled the younger one’s hair. “That tinfoil hat has fried your brain, Bergara.”

“ _Shut up, Shane.”_

“There we go.”

Shane’s reassuring smile brought with it a confusing mix of soothing calmness and bubbling restlessness that just made Ryan crave more, and that thought simmered deep within him as he stared at the flowers in front of him and waited anxiously for Shane to come back.

 


	2. I Got You Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it turned out to be more than two chapters. Ahahahaha...ooops! I'll be honest, the second half was supposed to have five more pranks. But as I started writing it...turns out I can't just cram all five pranks into Chapter 2. So now this fic has grown into more than just two chapters. I'll try to keep it at three, lol. But I guess we'll never know until I write it, yeah? Ahahaha! Enjoy reading!

Shane walked in with two cups of coffee and a soft expression. _He looks sleepy,_ Ryan thought to himself as he watched Shane make his way slowly across the office. He noted how Shane had opted to wear his usual denim jacket and an equally sharp-looking pair of denim pants. He was wearing contacts—which Ryan worried might be uncomfortable judging by the half-glazed look in Shane’s eyes—but he hasn’t shaved. The lower half of his face was lightly dusted with mocha-colored hair, further accentuating the _sharp and smoldering_ vibe he had going on. Annnnd…there went his thoughts again.

Ryan fidgeted nervously, suppressing the urge to run his hands through his hair—he would have typically avoided dwelling on the details of how Shane looked (he would have avoided thinking about _how attractive he found Shane lately_ , to be more precise) but this time, it was a welcome distraction. He was about to do something possibly stupid, after all.

“Morning,” Shane mumbled groggily in that husky voice that instantly made Ryan feel all warm and cozy inside, handing him a steaming cup of his favorite brew. Or was it actually Shane’s favorite...? Huh, he couldn’t quite remember now. Since when has the line between what he liked and what Shane did blur?

“Good morning to you too, Bigfoot,” Ryan said carefully in response, having rehearsed this moment several times in his head.

He usually asked Shane how he slept (whenever he did not spend the night at Shane’s place, of course) or commented on how unusually sleepy he looked like (because he wasn’t like Ryan—Shane was never restless or sleepless). But today, he couldn’t ask either of those because it worked in his favor that Shane was sleepy, and therefore less alert.

“Thanks for the coffee,” he added, noting mentally how impressive it was that Shane managed to stop by a Starbucks before going in AND get him a cup as well, despite being almost dead on his feet. He could have gotten himself into an accident, wandering around like that. Ryan wouldn’t even trust himself in the pantry if he was _that_ sleepy—he just stayed at his desk, while Shane acted like a miracle on stilts and fetched him his much-needed coffee. “Let me grab your coffee for you next time.”

Shane just nodded mechanically and plopped down on his chair, not even bothering to take off his bag first. He just stared blankly ahead, his eyes looking glassy. Ryan had to bite his tongue—quite literally too—to stop himself from asking Shane worried questions. Ryan was used to interrogating his partner every time he so much as yawned, so he found it incredibly difficult right now to NOT say anything when  Shane looked like his soul was sucked out of his mortal shell.

Ryan _reaaaally_ wanted to ask, damn. But… He… Well, he had a _job_ to do.

“So, uhh,” Ryan started, waving a hand at the bags on the floor next to Shane’s desk. “I got here earlier so I can pick up the equipment from storage.”

This seemed to spark some life back into Shane’s eyes. He turned to Ryan with a half-formed furrow on his brows. “You didn’t have to do that yourself. We’re not leaving until shortly before lunch, I could have done it.”

“Well, you don’t have to do it yourself either,” Ryan countered, raising an eyebrow at Shane.

Shane opened his mouth to say something, but whatever train of thought he had seemed to get derailed before he could voice them. He shook his head and took a long sip of his coffee instead.

 _This timing turned out to be even better than I thought_ , Ryan thought to himself as he watched Shane sway slightly from side to side. The movement wasn’t obvious—at least, not to anyone who didn’t watch him as closely as Ryan did.

“Are you sure you’re up for the shoot today, big guy?” Ryan allowed himself to ask at least that. Despite Shane’s current state being a huge help to his plans for today, he also couldn’t help but admit that the rarity of Shane being off his game made Ryan feel really worried. It was like watching your financial advisor worry about his loans, or watching a priest wonder if God is real, or…or… _you get the point_. Of course Ryan would worry if the person who took it upon himself to be his entire support system was out of sorts himself. It felt, on so many levels, terribly wrong. “If you’re not feeling well…”

Ryan saw it in his eyes before the small smile pulled Shane’s thin lips up. “I’m fine, buddy, don’t worry about me. Nothing coffee can’t fix.”

“Are you sure?”

Shane shook his head slowly—not at him, but at something he was clearly thinking to himself. And without looking up, he just mumbled, “As sure as you are of ghosts, Ryan.”

“I see,” Ryan exhaled as he drank the last of his coffee, swirling the hot and bitter liquid around with his tongue. It was actually his second cup of the day already—he downed the first one quickly as he steeled himself earlier to proceed with his plans to bring this prank war with Shane back on track.

He had been doing some thinking during the last few days—thinking about how his nerves were always like live wires whenever Shane was around, thinking about how he felt more and more keen on spending time alone with Shane, thinking about how the smallest gestures now made his chest hammer wildly, thinking about all the Shane-related things he’s been obsessing with over the last couple weeks.

Ultimately, he decided that most of the confusion had started— _escalated_ —when Shane started doing incredibly nice things in response to Ryan’s pranks. That was what threw Ryan off. Something was not quite right, that’s for sure. Shane was just as competitive as he was, and he knew how to hit Ryan just as well as Ryan knew his triggers. They _knew_ each other with the same familiarity they had with the back of their own palms. They’ve been breathing in each other’s rhythm for the last couple of years, after all. And so, Ryan _knew._ He knew that Shane never backed down from his challenges, never threw a fight, never willingly admitted defeat, and never walked away with business unfinished. And that was why Ryan couldn’t understand at first why Shane was doing the things he did.

After a good amount of mulling things over, Ryan realized the simplest reason why Shane was acting the way he was—Shane was obviously _confused_! Shane had misunderstood Ryan’s pranks, and had responded with sweet gestures that he had mistaken Ryan’s actions for.

It was all so stupid, really, that Ryan laughed dryly at himself once he arrived at the very obvious conclusion. He very nearly misunderstood Shane himself… He almost believed that Shane did incredibly nice things for him despite him being _an annoying little shit_ , as Shane would fondly call him. That wouldn’t have made sense anyway—what reason would Shane have for responding with warmth and overwhelming kindness when all he thought he was getting were pranks? Shane was an incredibly logical person—that’s why he was his counterpart, the realist to his dreamer, the skeptic to his believer.

 _An eye for an eye_. That’s what Shane always said. And it was the only explanation for why Shane was, for lack of better word, _malfunctioning_ right now. He had definitely misinterpreted Ryan’s actions.

There was a short moment there—a window of time during which Ryan felt emotionally vulnerable—where he almost decided to just let Shane continue misunderstanding him. Shane could just go on thinking that Ryan was being… _sweet_ , or whatever it was he thought Ryan was being. And Ryan could just accept Shane’s responses in stride. They would both walk down this unexplored path without knowing where it led to, and no one would have to know it all started because of a misunderstanding. No one would be the wiser. And for a brief instance of unfettered excitement, he thought that this was the best crossroad he could ever have in life, where the two roads before him led to two completely different worlds. Unknown, but promising. And in that same moment, he felt unbelievably powerful—he had in his hands the ability to choose which way he would go. He had the chance to choose the path that made his blood sing with just the mere thought of it.

He could just choose to live this misunderstanding. _Fake it until you make it._

But… Ryan couldn’t do that. Not to _Shane_.

Shane deserved better.

No…that wasn’t quite it either. Shane deserved the _best._

Ryan sneaked a sideways glance at the tall guy. He was still sipping on his coffee, his lips pressed lovingly to the damn _cup_ …

Ryan pushed that thought of his head. Right now, he needed to focus on making things right. And if that meant having to lead Shane away from his wrong assumptions about what Ryan was doing, then that’s what he was gonna do. No matter how difficult, it was the right thing to do. Never mind that Shane seemed perfectly fine with the idea of Ryan being sweet— _romantic_ , even—to him. Never mind that Ryan didn’t hate the fact that Shane misinterpreted him. Never mind that the entire situation right now felt so… _right_.

It was all meaningless if it wasn’t truthful and genuine and raw.

So Ryan, in order to push things back into track before it all spiraled out of control, decided to do a prank that Shane wouldn’t possibly be able to misconstrue into anything other than what it was supposed to be—a good-natured prank, but a prank nonetheless. That was what started all of this, anyway. Most of them have been, on hindsight, half-assed and vague. A loosely defined prank war with shitty rules of engagement and even shittier execution. _No wonder it barely felt like pranks._

So yeah, that was what Ryan had decided. And today was the day he was going to do it.

The plan was simple. Today they were headed out to the Old LA Zoo, also known as the Griffith Park Zoo. It was supposed to be rife with hauntings that were referred to as “residuals” because they were echoes of the memories and emotions swirling around the location. The shoot should be relatively easy, and it wasn’t as far as their other investigation sites. And so, Ryan decided, it was a good opportunity to make Shane’s phone and wallet disappear.

Now _that’s_ a prank.

* * *

Ryan kept on looking at him with those twinkling black eyes, and the sheer intensity of the half-stolen glances was making Shane think that _those eyes are blacker than the black of a universe without stars but that doesn’t make sense because you’re somehow blinding with your brightness and my proof of that is that I can’t look at you right now without my eyes hurting_ and whoa if that wasn’t poetic…and illogical.

Yes—he’s resorted to using a Spock reference now. He needed the infinite logic of Spock to steer him away from the sappy ( _stupid_?) thought that his sleep-addled brain was conjuring.

“I need another damn coffee,” Shane muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He barely noticed it when Ryan got up. He only snapped back to reality when Ryan was standing in front of him, grabbing his bony hand and pushing a warm sloshy mug into it.

“Are you really alright, dude?” Ryan asked quietly, which was not how he usually asked Shane if he was just merely inquiring. Ryan was, in actuality, doing something else.

Shane understood the somber tone without having to think about it—Ryan was the one who dealt with the logistics of their shoots. Ryan was the one who decided on locations, decided on episodes and shooting schedules, and therefore the one to get all of this stuff approved by their bosses. And despite all that, despite knowing the hassle of canceling shoots or delaying schedules, Ryan never hesitated in calling something off if Shane wasn’t feeling well. And that’s what this question really was—he just needed one sure answer from Shane, and then his decision would be final and phone calls would be made.

Shane’s chest tightened at the thought, and he was infinitely thankful that no amount of chest activity could actually produce an audible sound, unless someone had their ear pressed right against his rib cage.

He looked at Ryan—careful not to lose his train of thought as he met those unfathomable eyes head-on—and tried to school his features into a reassuring expression. “I’m really fine, Ryan.”

Of course this didn’t make so much as a dent on Ryan’s impression of Shane at the moment.

Shane took a deep breath and sat up straighter. “I’m just really sleepy. Okay, so two coffees didn’t fix it. But I bet lunch would. And if that isn’t enough, I can just nap on the way. This won’t affect the shoot, I promise.”

Ryan was still exuding that authoritative aura that Shane found both captivating and unnerving. _I’m still thinking about canceling, and I would if I deem it necessary,_ was what the aura said, confident and commanding and not the least bit uncertain. Shane resisted the urge to shiver—that surely wouldn’t help his case.

Ryan trained a wordless gaze on Shane for a few more seconds, all of his neurons no doubt firing in careful assessment of Shane’s statement, before letting out a measured sigh. His shoulders slumped down visibly, the tension dissipating, the black fire in his eyes mellowing into a slow, steady burn that Shane was more familiar with.

“Alright,” Ryan said after a while, the worry never truly leaving his expression. “But you’ll really have to nap, okay?”

Shane already knew he was going to do exactly that. “Yep, I will.”

A tentative grin was cracking Ryan’s somber expression—the longer Shane looked, the more it pulled at the corner of Ryan’s lips and lit his eyes up with pure mirth.

“What?” Shane couldn’t help but smile as well.

Ryan, without skipping a beat, made a funny face that Shane recognized as his version of a Bigfoot impression. “ _Sasquatch need sleep._ ”

Shane felt half of his drowsiness evaporate as his laughter mixed in with Ryan’s, drawing looks from the people around them. “Oh God, you’re something else, Ryan.”

“ _Smallfoot drive, Bigfoot sleep like baby_.”

This made Shane laugh again, although the sound came out more like a wheeze. “Shut up.”

Ryan was finally flashing him that blinding smile again. “That’s _my_ line, big guy.”

And it was true—Shane rarely ever said the phrase, because it seemed to be Ryan’s thing. But he did have moments when it just slipped out before he could stop himself. “Not this time, it seems.”

Before Ryan could say anything back to him, a long yawn forced itself out of his mouth. As soon as it has passed, the fog of sleepiness pressed down on him more insistently than ever, making his bones feel ancient and heavy. He was suddenly craving a pillow, a thick blanket…anything that would feel soft in his arms.

Shane’s eyes snapped open when he felt a strong hand squeeze his shoulder gently. He glanced up with bleary eyes and saw Ryan looking down at him. _Now that’s not a sight you see everyday,_ his tired mind thought.

“There’s a bed in one of the recording rooms, and no one is using it. We got two hours or so before we leave,” he heard Ryan say. He couldn’t glean meaning out of the words though… He knew it was English, and he heard them just fine, but the words just won’t connect and make sense. “Come on, up you go.”

Shane walked willingly—or rather, his body moved on its own—as soon as he felt the same strong hand on the small of his back, guiding him gently but firmly all the way to the studio. The walls and the corridors and all the confusing turns were just a hazy blur to him, passing him by as he floated around in his head.

He nearly collapsed at the sight of an actual bed in one of the recording rooms, all fluffed up and ready to be slept in. The lights weren’t on, and the bed was only lit up by a small bedside lamp.

“Let’s get this jacket off of you so I can tuck you in, yeah?” he vaguely heard Ryan say somewhere in the distance. But he sounded so far far away…

Shane felt tugging sensations that weren’t exactly unpleasant, although they were unfamiliar. He could feel his limbs moving around without his own volition, and he was reminded of the time when Ryan suggested he was like a string puppet that Ryan can just bring everywhere with him. That idea honestly sounded brilliant right now—being a string puppet must be nice because you didn’t have to move on your own. The funny thought vanished into the murky depths of his sleepy mind when he felt a lot more loose, his arms no longer restrained by his outfit. He was almost gone…

“Sweet dreams, Shane.”

He reached out with his hand as he felt the last wisps of consciousness escape him, and he thought he felt the brush of fingertips against his own.

“ _Ryan_ …” he sighed contentedly, and then he was out.

* * *

Shane opened his eyes to the sight of Ryan sitting on a Victorian-looking chair propped up right beside the bed, his head leaning back and his eyes closed. His denim jacket was on Ryan’s lap.

His first thought, not completely awake yet, was _Am I in a hospital?_ He realized how silly the thought was shortly after. If he was in a hospital, he was pretty sure the room won’t be dark and quiet and spacious. Neither would it be completely decked out with cameras and light fixtures from ceiling to floor. And, if he was in a hospital for whatever reason…would Ryan really be the first thing he woke up to, sleeping by his bedside? Was it…possible?

The comforter made a relatively loud rustling noise when he moved, waking Ryan up.

“You’re awake…?” Ryan mumbled, turning his wrist around to look at his watch. “Oh…perfect timing. It’s about time.”

“How long was I out?” Shane asked as he got up—he felt so much better, almost brand new. A little stiff, but he always felt that way waking up. “What time is it?”

Ryan handed him his jacket—the thick fabric was incredibly warm, to Shane’s surprise. Putting it on felt like he was wearing Ryan’s body heat, and that thought jumpstarted his brain back to life more than the very satisfying nap did.

“It’s just a bit past twelve actually,” Ryan said sheepishly, his fingers playing with the edges of the comforter. “I called the crew and let them know we’ll just follow them shortly. They should be having lunch right about now.”

Shane could feel his eyebrows doing their thing again as he listened to what Ryan was saying. “Follow… _where_?”

Ryan shifted around some more on his throne-like chair. “Well…to the location.”

Shane’s gut reared its head up at the slightest sign of Ryan spending time alone with him. “But weren’t we supposed to be heading there with TJ?”

Ryan shrugged, looking at anywhere but Shane’s eyes, it seemed. “Well, like I said, I called to let them know to go ahead.”

“Is…is this because of _me_?” Shane asked in disbelief, feeling his gut start playing tug-of-war with his intestines.

“No, Shane,” Ryan said slowly, his voice grave. “It’s the _voices._ They told me to stay here.”

“The _voi_ —oh my God, _Ryan_ , you’re such a dick,” Shane groaned, clutching his abdomen as his innards unraveled (metaphorically, anyway) like fireworks. Ryan burst into laughter the moment his words clicked and had shown on Shane’s face. “You’re an _idiot_ , you know that?”

“ _Hey!_ ” Ryan laughed heartily, smacking him on the shoulder. “Is that any way to treat your, uhhh, your… _shit_ —your sleep benefactor?”

This time, Shane laughed out lout too. “Sleep benefactor? Really?”

Ryan made a show of looking at his watch. Then he wagged his eyebrows at Shane, a big dorky smile lighting up his features. “Yep! In fact, you owe me three hours, 12 minutes, 25 seconds…and change.”

“… _and change_?!” Shane just about howled with laughter, making his stomach protest again. “How stingy of you, Bergara. Have you always been this exacting? I bet you’ll make a good loan shark. Wait…is this one of the things you do? As Ricky Goldsworth?”

Ryan smiled like he was having the time of his life—which, to be fair, was how Shane would describe about seventy five percent of Ryan’s smiles. The guy smiled like he was the happiest man in the world.

“I can round it up to the nearest microsecond, if you want,” Ryan suggested with another cocky grin.

Shane gave him his trademark smirk—he had a reputation to protect. “How about I pay you one _full_ movie of your choice? There are quite a few films over three hours. I’ll even throw in some popcorn!”

Ryan was already shaking his head before Shane was even done speaking. “Nope. No can do, big guy. You’re gonna have to do better than that.”

Shane made an exaggerated thinking face. “How about…my Netflix password? That good enough for you?”

“But I already have your Netflix password!”

“Oh, you do?” Shane mock-asked, remembering with crystal clarity the exact moment he gave Ryan his password. He shook his head theatrically. “Then what more do you want, Ryan? Such a greedy _little_ man, tsk tsk.”

“You _son of a bitch_!” Ryan wheezed, slapping his shoulder as he laughed. “Fine! Fine, I’ll collect payment later, you big dumb Squatch.”

“Oh, you wanna do this again?” Shane smirked at him some more, enjoying the animated reactions on Ryan’s face. “Be my guest.”

“You just wait,” Ryan said, sounding as determined as he always did whenever he pulled Shane into the sound booth to make him acknowledge an EVP. Never mind that he never once gave Ryan the satisfaction.

Shane just smiled at him cockily, then he started getting up, ignoring Ryan’s colorful speech. That was, until he realized he wasn’t wearing any shoes. He didn’t remember taking them off—although, to be fair, he didn’t exactly remember the last couple of minutes right before he passed out. The memories were just a hazy puddle of sensations and waking dreams.

“Hey, uh, have you seen my shoes, bud?”

Ryan stopped abruptly, and then he leaned down and picked it up from under his chair. “Here.”

Shane stared at the untied laces for a second before he took them from Ryan. He never untied his laces—he just toed his shoes off, something that Ryan always gave him shit for. He glanced up at Ryan as he put his shoes on, and saw Ryan looking right at him. But he couldn’t read the expression on his co-host’s face, which was a rare occurrence. In the end, he decided to just swallow the obvious question. He didn’t know how to ask it without sounding ruffled or out of character—something about the thought of Ryan touching his feet just sounded… _sacred_. Like hallowed ground that even angels should tread lightly. There was this invisible tension, like a heavy blanket of charged air, around them…and asking the question out loud was going to shatter the spell. Lift the veil. Break the rose-colored glass.

Thinking about such serious stuff wasn’t helping his stomach settle, so Shane just told himself that it sounded like something a high school brat would ask, and the last thing he needed was to give Ryan more bullets in his mental arsenal of jokes and smart-ass remarks, which he happily emptied out on Shane whenever they started teasing each other. The man had no concept of overkill at all.

 _Besides, it was better this way_ , Shane thought to himself. He could just let himself think that Ryan took his shoes off and tucked him in bed, maybe even ran that heavy hand through his messy hair. Ryan was kind of… _sweet_ like that. He may not be doing it on purpose—Shane doubted the guy’s actions and intentions matched up—but it still made Shane jump a little on the inside whenever Ryan did anything like that. It may or may not have helped that Shane has never seen his co-host act like this towards anyone else. For a while now, Shane has felt relatively safe in assuming that he was the only one receiving these sweet non-gestures. It may not mean anything to Ryan, but it was special regardless. Exclusive, even without the label. Something Shane can call his own.

“You feeling better, big guy?” Ryan asked seriously, his tone tinged with concern.

Shane’s smile this time was warm. “So much better, bud. Thanks.”

Ryan’s satisfied grin replaced the worried expression. “Good! So, shall we?”

Shane got out of bed and stretched. He really did feel better. Today should be fun—shoots were always fun. Anything with Ryan was fun. “Let’s do this!”

And it was due to that bubble of satisfaction Shane was in that he missed the edge in Ryan’s voice when he mirrored his statement. “Yeah _…_ let’s do this.”

* * *

Ryan, for reasons Shane couldn’t imagine, stuck around him real close after his nap. Ryan was always clingy, but this time, he took it to a whole new level. His face was literally always in the way of whatever Shane was trying to do.

When Shane went back to his desk to grab his bag and get ready to go, Ryan inexplicably (and forcibly) dragged him to the pantry to make tea—claiming some BS about tea helping Shane wake up. _Coffee could barely do the job, what chance did tea have?_

When he tried checking his email on his work computer, Ryan hovered around so restlessly that he accidentally tripped on the plug and knocked it clean out of the socket. Ryan insisted that he just save the emails and whatnot for after their shoot. Shane would normally tell him to fuck off and mind his own work, but he was too preoccupied with trying to decipher Ryan’s thought process at the moment.

When he started walking towards the comfort room, Ryan was right behind him, pretending that he just happened to be walking in that direction too. Shane didn’t even need to pee—he just really wanted to make sure Ryan was indeed tailing him. And he was. _What the fuck…?_

Shane went back to his desk, bewildered by this development. Just exactly what happened while he was asleep?

“So hey, the crew said they could take some shots of the place while they wait for us to get there,” Ryan said offhandedly as he waited for Shane to finish sorting his desk before they left. “We can grab lunch somewhere on the way. What do you think?”

“Sounds good, man. Now that I think about it, I’m kinda hungry,” Shane agreed, watching Ryan closely for any clues as to what the usually boisterous guy was thinking.

“Alright, cool,” Ryan nodded, still fidgeting like he had a ghost perched on his shoulder. Shane knew better than to ask. Ryan was not the best liar, but he was pretty stubborn. He could just refuse to answer, and it was near impossible to get him to budge once he’s decided on something.

So Shane just decided on a playful jab. “You look nervous, bud. We haven’t even left yet. Are you really that scared of a zoo?”

Ryan just stared at him, his eyes wide but determined. The _Shut up, Shane_ never came.

* * *

Shane…definitely _knew_.

Well, okay, maybe not exactly. Ryan was pretty sure Shane would blow his top off—at least initially, but Shane was never angry with him for long—if he had already realized his phone and wallet were gone. But he definitely suspected. Ryan could see it in Shane’s hawk-like gaze trained on him. He was definitely on to Ryan being up to something.

“Are YOU okay, man?” Shane asked him for the third time since the left the office. “You seem really nervous, Ryan. You wanna pull over for a while? Or if you want, I can drive. It’s no big deal.”

Ryan shook his head, not taking his eyes off the road. Was he that obvious? Damn. “No, it’s nothing. I’m fine. Just…uhhh, nervous about the shoot…?” It definitely came out like a question, and was not convincing in any way.

Shane’s eyes visibly narrowed as he took in Ryan’s obvious lie. “It’s a _zoo,_ Ryan.”

“Well, it’s still abandoned! And there are ghost sightings, evidence of haunting—”

“Sure, _evidence,”_ Shane scoffed, tapping his finger on the dashboard. “Anyway, you think we should call the crew? Let them know we’re close?”

Ryan’s eyes widened so much Shane thought he just saw a ghost materialize on the road. But before Shane could say or do anything, Ryan was already talking a mile a minute. “So yeah, about that, I already let them know. Don’t worry about it.”

Shane raised an eyebrow at him slowly, his face straight. “Ryan. You’ve been driving for close to two hours. When did you tell them— _yesterday_?”

“Errr…” Ryan was running out of ideas, and this wasn’t how he imagined Shane would find out. He had worked so hard to keep Shane from noticing the inevitable. He had successfully wrestled the bill at the restaurant out of Shane’s hands, and talked his ear off in an effort to distract Shane from looking for his phone—never mind that Shane almost never pulled his phone out whenever they ate out. _Hmmm_ …

“What is it, Ryan?”

“ _What_?” he croaked, his ears turning red at the unmanly sound.

Shane’s lips twitched, but his stern expression held. “What is it this time, Ryan?”

Ryan briefly considered just saying it outright, but ultimately decided that his original plan was the best plan. _Steal the stuff, distract Shane for as long as possible, enjoy the resulting meltdown and hope it got caught on camera._ “I don’t know what you’re talking about, dude.”

Shane just pursed his lips, the denial obviously anticipated. “You and your…pranks.”

Ryan swallowed involuntarily. He didn’t really know why, but he was suddenly ten times more nervous.

Shane sat back casually and just shrugged, a small smirk pulling his lips up. “Fair warning, I’m not going to hold back on you.”

The overconfident tone and cocky demeanor made Ryan bristle a bit, just a tiny bit. “Give me all you’ve got, big guy. I can take it.”

Short chuckle, followed by an exasperated sigh. “You wouldn’t know what hit you if I did.”

“You overestimate yourself.”

Shane shrugged again. “Maybe you underestimate me too much.”

“I don’t,” Ryan grumbled, before he realized what he just said out loud. Shane must have thought it was weird too, because he turned around again to look at Ryan. But before Shane could say anything, Ryan blurted out whatever thought was waiting on the forefront of his mind. Which was, of course, a bad idea. _Out of the frying pan, and into the fire._ “Since when were flowers and cake and popcorn and movies considered pranks?”

If silence made a sound, then the result was deafening. Ryan felt so nervous and anxious and jumpy that he wondered if it was too late to take Shane up on that offer to pull over and take a break. Thank goodness the road was almost empty…

Shane cleared his throat, making Ryan grip the steering wheel tightly in surprise. “Pretty much around the time scrapbooks and mini movies became pranks?”

Ryan snuck a glance at Shane, and was surprised to see the tall, lanky guy smiling.

“You’re not mad?” he squeaked before he could check himself. _Stupid mouth lost its filter again, ugh._

Shane shook his head slowly, still smiling at what must be a dumb expression frozen on Ryan’s face. “Why would I be mad, Ryan?”

“I dunno…”

“Well, I’m not mad.”

Ryan grimaced, beating himself up internally at how this conversation had turned out. “This is so dumb…”

He almost slammed on the brakes when Shane mock-punched him on the shoulder—Shane didn’t even seem to notice. “I don’t think it’s dumb, Ryan. I just think you’re excitable.”

Ryan made a face at him. “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard _that_ before…”

“I’m sure you did,” Shane grinned, looking like his normal amused self.

It was quiet for a while after that. Ryan took advantage of the somewhat comfortable silence to sort his thoughts out—for a moment there, he couldn’t even remember the point to all of this. Everything has become complicated, and Ryan was pretty sure his ideas only added to the chaos.

“So, is there really a prank?” Shane asked, as unruffled as ever.

“Ehhhh…maybe?”

Shane grinned at him. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

As much as he hated that Shane never seemed to be affected by anything he did, Ryan thought it felt nice at the moment. Shane was his grounding force. When he’s lost in his thoughts, Shane navigated for him. When he’s scared out of his wits, Shane was there to make fun of everything. When his mind went to overdrive, Shane was there to balance him out. Shane was his beacon, his anchor, his Northern Star. And the best part was that Shane didn’t seem to mind being all these things for Ryan. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all that Ryan was a complete mess of thoughts and ideas and silly shenanigans. Shane was going to sort him out just fine, right?

Shane gave him another sweet smile. “I look forward to it, Ryan.”

* * *

Ryan fought hard to keep his face straight as he ignored his phone ringing. He was pinching his arm where Shane couldn’t see it, but it barely helped.

_Riiiing…riiiiing…riiiiing!_

Shane looked dubiously at him. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

Ryan shook his head wordlessly, deliberately not looking at Shane.

Shane’s eyebrow twitched higher. “It could be from work, Ryan.”

Ryan waved a hand. “I’m sure it’s fine, they know we’re filming today.”

“Yes, but we’re also on break right now,” Shane frowned at him. Ryan just shook his head stubbornly.

Actually, Ryan wasn’t sure it was fine. Not only did he have his own work calls to mind, he had also asked people to forward Shane’s work calls to him—that’s the whole reason why he went as far as pulling the plug on Shane’s computer earlier that morning. If Shane saw the email Ryan sent, his prank would have been busted before he could even execute it.

“You’re acting really weird, Ryan,” Shane said flatly, still half-glaring at him.

Ryan just looked ahead pointedly, hoping Shane wouldn’t discover his prank yet. He didn’t wanna pull his phone out, because that might prompt Shane into reaching for his own phone, only to realize that it was, of course, gone. The cameras weren’t around, so now was not the time for Shane to find that out. He absolutely had to do it on camera— _gotta capture that reaction in HD video, hahaha!_

“Don’t worry about it,” he managed to say through tightly suppressed laughter.

Shane’s eyes narrowed further.

* * *

Shane grabbed Ryan as soon as they were out of sight of the crew, and slammed him against a wall with just enough force to knock the breath out of Ryan’s lungs. Before Ryan could even blink, Shane already had both hands pinning him against a wall of the dilapidated zoo, surprisingly strong fingers digging into the meat of his shoulders.

“ _Shane_ …?” Ryan swallowed nervously, his heart rate already spiking.

“Shut up,” was all Shane said, before his hands started making their way downwards. Ryan yelped when he felt Shane’s hands around his pelvis, each finger exerting enough pressure that he can feel them through his jeans.

“Shane, _wait_ —what are you _doing_?” Ryan half-whimpered, overwhelmed by the assault of a thousand things—nerves going haywire, a deliciously familiar tingling dancing across his skin, the steady spread of heat as his blood started coursing south, very persistent fingers exploring his…his lower half, and the extreme proximity of Shane that felt no different from the proximity of a roaring bonfire.

Shane, clearly dissatisfied by his findings, turned Ryan around and pushed him to the wall, pressing on his back with one ridiculously strong arm. His other hand slapped against Ryan’s butt cheeks—

“ _Shaaaane_!”

The arm pressing him against the wall disappeared, and Ryan dropped to the ground instantly, his knees having turned into jelly. He had barely even registered that he was slumped on the ground before he felt a highly capable hand pulling him up by the arm. His face burned at the thought of how easily Shane was able to manhandle him. He couldn’t push him off if he wanted to, not when he felt like his bones had turned into mush.

“ _What the hell…?_ ” Ryan breathed, eyes wild and trained on Shane. His fingertips were numb and unresponsive, his heart hammering painfully inside his chest. “What was _that_ about?”

Shane’s chocolate eyes were fixed into a piercing stare as he towered over him, his overwhelming presence enveloping Ryan like a predator closing in on helpless prey.

“Where is it, _Ryan_?” he whispered right next to Ryan’s ear, his deep husky voice making Ryan shiver uncontrollably. Shane spoke his name like a command. One that left Ryan feeling…bound. _Compelled beyond belief._ Ryan willed himself not to make any sound, certain that it was going to come out sounding so wrong, like…like a _moan._ But Shane was testing his limits.“Come on, _Ryan_. Give it to me.”

Ryan’s heartbeat was thundering in his eardrums, practically blocking out all other sound. If this kept up, he was pretty sure he was going to have a panic attack.

“Don’t make me force it out of you,” Shane said softly with a predatory grin, taking in Ryan’s cornered expression.

“What are you—?” Ryan trailed off, suddenly realizing what Shane was doing. “Is this about your goddamned _phone_?!”

Shane pulled back all of a sudden, his dead serious expression breaking into childish delight. “I _got_ you!”

It took a while for Ryan’s brain to catch up, and by the time he realized that Shane was giving him a fucking pat down in search of his goddamned phone, Shane was already doubled over in laughter, tears in his eyes.

Ryan felt his face heat up _again,_ this time with embarrassment. “Shane, _you ass_!!!”

Shane guffawed at the look on Ryan’s face. “What about it, Ryan?”

Ryan punched him on the shoulder with as much strength as he could muster—which, in his current condition, wasn’t any better than a 10-year-old’s punch. “You could have just asked for it!!!”

Shane wiped away tears of laughter. “I wanted to get creative. I got you soooo _good_!”

“Jesus _fucking_ Christ, dude…” Ryan groaned, throwing himself against the wall, his hand over his face. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

Shane snickered. “Already? I was just looking for my phone. Are you sure you don’t want me to hold back?”

“You _son of a bitch_ —!”

Shane winked at him. “I hope you’re ready, _Ryan_.”

Ryan knew he was screwed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments really help! Please please please show this poor writer some love! <3


	3. Lightning in a Bottle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From ghoulies and ghosties  
> And long-leggedy beasties  
> And things that go bump in the night  
> Good Lord, deliver us!
> 
> ~traditional Scottish poem

Shane smiled to himself as he recalled the rest of their shoot after he gave Ryan a well-deserved (and very satisfying albeit unnecessary) body search. Filming had dragged on quite a bit longer than expected—because ghosts weren’t real, and the fact just showed even more in a place as benign as an old abandoned zoo—so they ended up shooting well into the night. It was fine though, because Shane pretty much knew it was going to happen—because hey, if they couldn’t get any sort of ghost evidence at all, Ryan’s freak outs born from every little thing that goes bump in the night definitely made up for it in terms of content. It was sort of the unspoken backup plan, and pretty much everyone knew that. Well, with the glaring exception of Ryan, it seemed. But that was fine too.

Ryan had been tense and jumpy for the rest of the shoot—and for once, it wasn’t because of the nonexistent ghosts. His face had been red for the most part of the night, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide, and his breath hitched audibly every time Shane so much as brushed against him—which was an unavoidable aspect of their natural dynamic as ghost hunters. And the best part was that Ryan didn’t seem to shy away from Shane at all despite the electric tension between them, which Shane was thankful for because he honestly thought Ryan was going to punch him in the throat and walk out on their shoot, friendship and working relationship be damned. Honestly, he couldn’t have blamed his very attractive, _very_ _straight_ friend, if he kicked Shane’s ass…but Ryan didn’t—and the half-stolen glances he threw Shane all night felt amazing. Shane was more than thrilled with this development. Maybe it wasn’t so impossible for Ryan to like him back, after all.

“Oh jeez,” Shane muttered to himself as he exhaled, his long fingers wrapping nervously around the keys in his hand. The thought of Ryan returning his feelings even the slightest bit made him feel jittery like he never had before, and the unfamiliar sensation gave him goosebumps all over. The possibility of Ryan seeing him as more than a friend was…exciting. Thrilling. _Intoxicating_.

Shane shivered at the realization, his heart stuttering in his chest as he thought that maybe someday, he would be able to kiss those plump, full lips that he adored.

* * *

_Ryan was already at his desk when Shane walked in, which was a bit too early even for Ryan. Today was one of the rare days when Shane went to work early, and truly early he was. It’s more than thirty minutes before work even started, but Ryan was already there. Annnnd he wasn’t looking at Shane at all. Strange._

_“Good morning,” Shane greeted casually, watching Ryan stare intently at his computer screen. There was nothing important on it though, as far as Shane could tell. An Excel tab was open, and by the looks of it, it was a blank one too. Shane felt his forehead crease._

_He couldn’t imagine a lot of reasons for Ryan to ignore him without any apparent reason. The guy was pretty much the most forgiving person he knew. And, speaking as objectively as possible, Shane believed that he and Ryan had a good friendship—he doubted Ryan would start ignoring him wordlessly unless he had done something truly terrible and offensive. And that was something Shane was sure he hadn’t done. He treasured what they had, and all his words and actions essentially revolved around what would make Ryan feel comfortable and happy._

_Well…unless…unless Ryan realized Shane felt more than just friendship towards him?_

_This particular thought never failed to make his blood go cold, and right now wasn’t an exception—even though he did his best to try and hide the overwhelming affection he felt for the guy, he always felt like it was only a matter of time before Ryan found out anyway. He steeled himself for the worst—_

_Shane’s grim and depressing thoughts evaporated instantly the moment he sat down._

_His desk looked pretty much the same as he left it…at first glance. But as was his habit, his eyes always went to his desk calendar as soon as he got in—to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything important, like deadlines and meetings. And that’s how he knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong, that Ryan was probably not mad, that his secret was most likely safe._

_He stared at his calendar now, his lips parting ever so slightly in surprise. The tiny calendar was now full of ghost stickers and heart doodles. There were entries that said “coffee with Ryan,” “grocery run with Ryan,” “horror and chill with Ryan,” and so on. He flipped to the next month, and saw the same thing. More ghosts, more hearts, more…Ryan stuff._

_As soon as he was able to tear his eyes away from the small calendar on the corner of his cluttered table, it dawned on him that the rest of his work station was…meticulously tampered with. His small corkboard that he used to pin his notes and scribbles on still had said notes—but the notes were all rewritten on Halloween-themed memo sheets, with a very familiar handwriting. The picture frame that occupied the back of his screen—it was left by whoever owned the desk prior to him and he never cared to use it or throw it away—was now perched nicely on one edge of his desk, containing a picture of him and Ryan laughing in a snowy forest. He recognized it as from that time when they filmed the Salem Witch Trials episode. The business cards that he had left lying around now said “Shane Madej, ghost hunter and Robo Squatch.” Every single thing on his desk that contained his name now said either Bigfoot or Sasquatch. And the sweep was pretty thorough—even the label on his headset was altered._

_Ryan, obviously unable to contain himself any further, burst out laughing. Their corner of the open floor office echoed with Ryan’s hearty laughter, his round eyes swimming with tears._

_Shane cracked a smile himself, but he wasn’t going to give Ryan too much satisfaction by letting his amusement show—Ryan’s laughter was ready contagious beyond belief, there was no need to let the guy know that too. He turned his computer on coolly. “Real funny, buddy. What, did you stay up all night to do this?”_

_Ryan managed to stop his laughter long enough to catch his breath and grin cheekily at Shane. “That’s not all, big guy. I got more. I prepped this thing for weeks!”_

_Before Shane could even wonder what else Ryan could have done, his screen came to life. And sure enough, his wallpaper had been replaced with another goofy picture of the two of them. This time, the snap was from their Bigfoot adventure in the woods of Willow Creek._

_“How did you even know my password, man?” Shane asked him, raising an eyebrow. He wasn’t entirely sure if he felt like his privacy was violated, or impressed that Ryan managed to sneak up on him and watch him so closely he managed to get Shane’s password. “You know this is illegal, right?”_

_Ryan’s childlike delight at his prank didn’t even falter. “Who’s gonna report me?”_

_Shane pursed his lips theatrically, debating for a moment if he wanted to give Ryan a scare. But seeing the pure, unadulterated joy in the younger man’s eyes made him unwilling to burst that bubble. He could just pay Ryan back in kind, he supposed._

_“Watch your back,” Shane said instead with a cocky smirk of his own. What he didn’t expect was the glint of competitiveness and the silent challenge that now shone in Ryan’s eyes._

_Ryan grinned at him. “You’re on, man.”_

_Shane’s heart thudded inside his chest as Ryan mock-punched him in the shoulder. “Alright, buddy. For now though, wanna get some coffee?”_

_Ryan nodded happily, and walked cheerfully beside him as they headed to the pantry, talking excitedly about the most random things in the world. Shane silently hoped the moment would last forever._

* * *

Shane took a deep breath as he let the memory wash over him. Who knew that one prank would have led into…into this nerve-wracking but also promising turn of events?

Sure, he knew what was at stake—he understood what he risked whenever he let his guard down and flirted with Ryan in ways that he hoped the guy would only dismiss as playful banter. He knew that all too well. One wrong move, one wrong assumption, and his friendship with Ryan would go up in flames, damaged beyond repair. And with it, he also risked wrecking Ryan’s most important project—and consequently, the momentum of his successful career. But then again…Ryan could just get another co-host. Shane wasn’t his first co-host, and he didn’t have to be the last. If he decided that he couldn’t stand Shane’s presence anymore, Shane believed he had enough mental fortitude to be able to step down gracefully from his position and walk away. Maybe he’d even resign, if it had to come to that—or ask to get transferred to a different office, at least. Maybe he can start over in New York or something. He was replaceable. Ryan wasn’t.

At any rate, all of that would only have to happen if Ryan found out how Shane felt. And that was something that never had to happen. He flirted sometimes, yes…but that was it. It was just banter, in the end—everyone else did it. Theirs was no different. Shane didn’t harbor any illusions that what he and Ryan had could develop into something bigger, nor did he intend to act on his desire for their relationship to be defined, or labeled. He was happy. Ryan was happy. And they were together right now, with a warm and genuine friendship wrapped up nicely in their own private bubble. That was all that mattered, right? To hope for more was to set himself up for disappointment. Ryan already gave him so much. It would be greedy to want more. And being greedy usually screwed things up.

_We’ll cross the bridge when we get there,_ Ryan once said during one of their shoots—the guy had a lot of wise sayings that Shane always teased him for. Maybe he really should get one of those maxims embroidered on a pillow, just as he suggested. That would make for a nice gift, and he was sure he was going to get some satisfying reactions out of Ryan. He should look into places that offer embroidery services or something.

Oh well—that was a really cool idea and all, but Shane had a very important task at hand.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Shane said aloud to no one in particular, before sitting up straight and pushing the key in. With one smooth twist of his wrist, the engine came to life. He looked at his phone—forty minutes of lunch break left. Plenty of time to get back and actually have lunch once he had finished with his payback prank. He could even spend said lunch with his unaware victim—now that was a funny thought. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Ryan’s face tonight.

He shifted around on the driver’s seat, not used to being on this side of the car—especially in _this_ particular car. He always enjoyed being a passenger, but today was an exception.

Shane backed out of the parking space slowly, careful not to nick anything, and drove away from the BuzzFeed compound with the silver Suburban that belonged to Ryan.

* * *

Ryan glared intently at Shane, suspicious of the burrito the tall guy was offering him. Shane walked back in real late for lunch, and had this shifty air about him as he smoothly dodged Ryan’s questions regarding his sudden disappearance.

“What did you do to it?” Ryan grumbled, not taking his eyes off the Chipotle temptation. He had just about enough willpower to not immediately grab it—he couldn’t exactly trust anything the guy did after Shane’s stunt from their last shoot—but he can’t completely turn the mouthwatering burrito down either, which only made him grumpier. He hated even more that Shane seemed to know this weakness, and was taking advantage of it.

“It’s just food, Ryan. I didn’t do anything to it,” Shane said, taking a small bite from his own burrito. “Look, I’m sorry I was late for lunch. I didn’t know if you ate already, so I got you this.”

Ryan’s eyes narrowed even more—Shane sounded convincing, but that’s exactly what _lying pranksters_ would sound like!

“I can hear your brain thinking, Ryan,” Shane laughed, waving the thing around. “Don’t tire yourself out. Just take it and eat.”

Ryan, giving in to his hunger but unwilling to be pranked with something that will potentially give him diarrhea or some other tummy issue, held his hand out. “Give me yours instead.”

Shane almost choked on his mouthful, his eyes going wider than Ryan had ever seen it. “I’m _sorry_ —what?”

Ryan pursed his lips at him, determined with his choice. “If you really didn’t do anything to it, then you go eat it. Give me yours instead.”

“I already took a bite out of it!” Shane managed to cough out after clearing his throat hastily with a few clumsy swallows.

“Are you venomous or something? Just hand it over, jeez,” Ryan said, grabbing the burrito as soon as Shane lowered his hand. “ _There_ , that wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

“Ryan…” Shane started saying, but Ryan took a big bite before Shane could say anything else.

He shook his head, his mouth full of— _stolen_?—food. “Nuh uh, too late!”

Shane stared at him with an unreadable expression—chocolate eyes wide, thin lips parted slightly, speechless. He tried to say something several times, but no words came out.

“It’s okay, man. It’s just food,” Ryan said through another delicious mouthful. He wouldn’t admit it, but he hadn’t eaten yet—he spent almost all lunch break scouring the building for Shane because the guy wouldn’t answer his phone. “We share popcorn all the time. No big deal.”

“We don’t share the same bite of popcorn though,” Shane said matter-of-factly after a while, having found his voice again. He was slowly unwrapping the burrito he meant to give to Ryan, his eyes narrowed in a weird expression.

Ryan cleared his throat and tried to remember the voice of Bloody Mary, the voodoo queen from their New Orleans episode.

“ _I think…you might intellectualize too much,_ ” Ryan said emphatically. He topped it off with a cheeky wink—he did a passable impression of the lady, if he said so himself.

“ _You_ …I really don’t understand you sometimes,” Shane sighed, sinking his teeth offhandedly on the suspicious burrito.

“That’s because you’re a skeptic. You’re, hmmm…not open-minded,” Ryan shrugged, watching Shane carefully as the man ate his replacement food with his typical casual aloofness.

Shane snorted. “I don’t think calling every single creak in a creaky old building is the definition of being open-minded either, Ryan. Pretty sure it doesn’t work like that.”

“ _Huh_.”

“Huh what?”

“You really didn’t do anything to that burrito?”

Shane rolled his eyes. “I already told you I didn’t. Unlike you, I don’t wanna _murder_ you, you know?”

“I told you it wasn’t like _that_!” Ryan wheezed indignantly—Shane never let him forget about that small example he made about the Shane doll. “Just let it go already!”

Shane shook his head wildly, his eyes twinkling with mirth now. “ _Never_!”

“Jesus—what’s _wrong_ with you??” Ryan laughed, avoiding Shane’s long limbs as he started imitating the car wash blowy thing again. “You are so weird, man!”

“And the weird is gonna rub off on you because, one, we’re always together. And two, you just ate my burrito,” Shane said easily, pushing Ryan’s chair around so he can slump down on his in front of his computer. “You’re infected now. Weird is contagious.”

“Shut up, Shane,” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. The burrito felt so _good_ after spending close to an hour Shane-hunting in the BuzzFeed office. Maybe he should have filmed it. Maybe he could have made a mock episode of Unsolved. _The Manhunt for the Missing Madej, a BuzzFeed Unsolved Special._

“So uh, Ryan,” Shane started, crumpling his empty burrito wrapper. “Wanna watch a movie tonight?”

He sounded so serious it made a metaphorical light bulb click above Ryan’s head. Said light bulb was neatly labeled _payback_.

“I dunno, man,” Ryan said slowly, watching Shane’s face closely. “I think I might have a date tonight.”

He almost immediately regretted what he said when he saw the dark look that flashed across Shane’s eyes. It was very fleeting, and it was gone the next moment, but that didn’t unknot the twist in Ryan’s gut. He felt even more unnerved than he was at the Sallie House.

“Uhhh, Shane…?” Ryan gulped nervously, waving a slightly shaking hand in front of Shane’s frozen face. He looked like he got the wind knocked out of him, and his eyes were unfocused. “You okay, man?”

Shane’s eyes darted to him, but it was a while before cognition kicked in, and Shane’s lost expression—a wild combination of surprise, hurt, anger, disgust, and some other emotions Ryan couldn’t quite put a finger on—dissolved into that of chagrin.

The light atmosphere was gone, the teasing statement having sunk in with the force of a car crash. Shane looked… _devastated,_ and Ryan felt like the rug was pulled from under his feet—the same feeling he imagined anyone would get if they threw an apple and managed to crack the wall.

This felt horrible—this hardly felt like payback. In fact, this was nothing like that time when Shane said he had a date. He was pretty sure Shane was smiling from beginning to end. Right now, Ryan didn’t do anything different and yet he felt like he was going to puke.

…though, by the looks of it, it seemed he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Shane looked really rattled.

“That was just a joke,” Ryan stammered as soon as he could get his throat to work, bewildered by the unexpected reaction from his co-host.

Shane’s expression darkened again, although it was less severe this time. He looked away, his facial expression closing off into unreadability. “You don’t have to do that, man. I just… I mean, I just offered, in case you didn’t have anything to do. It’s cool. Don’t worry about it.”

“ _Shane_!”

Shane looked back at him—why, oh why, did he look pained? _What the hell…_

“I was just joking, okay?” Ryan groaned, wishing he could go back in time, kick his past self in the ass, and lecture him about not putting his foot in his mouth all the goddamned time. “I just… You said the same thing a while back, and I thought I’d just do it too. It’s a joke—”

“Are you serious?”

Ryan couldn’t look Shane straight in the eye—Shane was being incredibly…emotionally expressive, and it was shocking the wits out of him. “It was really just a joke. Was supposed to be funny too…”

“ _Jesus Christ_ …” Shane exhaled, putting his head between his hands, elbows resting on his knees. He looked incredibly relieved and deflated at the same time. “Ryan…”

“What did I do?” Ryan asked nervously, biting his lip. This sucked. Shane was obviously hurt AND angry, and then he was relieved, and now he was sad again, and Ryan just didn’t understand any of it. It felt like he was watching a movie in German—it was intense, and he had absolutely no clue what was going on. “Did I do _something_? Did I say something wrong?”

Shane didn’t say anything, nor did he move so much as an inch. He just stayed there, head buried in his hands.

“Shane?”

Shane just shook his head in his hands, messing up his hair.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Ryan,” he mumbled through his long fingers.

Ryan didn’t know how to argue with that. Shane was wrong of course, but he didn’t know how he was going to convince him of that. Shane can be a real ass when it came to verbal arguments, and there was no winning with him if you came at him unprepared.

“I’m sorry, I think I’m in some kind of funk right now,” Shane said, sitting back up. He had a small smile on his lips, but the smile was so bitter it made Ryan flinch just looking at it. “Definitely feeling weird right now…”

“Shane—”

“I’m sorry, but can we just pretend this never happened?” Shane said, cutting him off.

“ _But_ …”

Shane was starting to have a wild look in his eyes, making Ryan swallow dryly. “Please.”

Ryan wanted to protest that, but pushing Shane when he was decided on retreating never ended well. He ran his hand through his hair, fighting the urge to pull at the roots. “Alright, alright, we’ll do that.”

“Alright, cool.”

It was silent for a while. No one had business at their corner of the office. No one walked by, and no one sat close enough to butt in or listen to them. They were left undisturbed at their own little space in the office, and the ambient noise was all that filled the air for the next few minutes. Eventually, Shane’s expressions calmed back down into a face that just generally said _I fucked up_.

Ryan, desperate to make everything okay again, said the one thing that he knew never failed to make Shane smile.

“So, can I still go…?” he asked tentatively.

Shane turned to look at him, eyebrows pushing together slowly.

Ryan took a deep breath to calm his own nerves. Then he put on the biggest, jolliest smile he could muster. “You asked me out for a movie, right? Are we still on? I hope we are, I could really use a movie and some popcorn tonight!”

Shane just stared at him for a while, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. And then his face lit up slowly—making Ryan sigh in relief internally. “You wanna go?”

Ryan nodded enthusiastically. “Your place, right? Or you wanna maybe go to mine…?”

“Mine is fine,” Shane said, taking his glasses off to massage the bridge of his nose. “You can stay too, if you want. You still haven’t used those jammies you bought last week. I already washed it.”

“I’ll do that, then,” Ryan agreed, glad that conversation had returned to normal. He was going to figure it all out later—right now, what’s important was to make sure Shane did not make that scary face again. “Thanks for the burrito, by the way. I’m still surprised you haven’t poisoned it, but yeah. Guess I was wrong, haha!”

Shane rolled his eyes at him. “Like I said, I don’t want to _murder_ you.”

“I’m pretty certain that I’m ripe for pranking right now,” Ryan said defensively. “Actually…is that what your plan is? Lure me into your house with Netflix and popcorn, and—”

“How many times I do have to say this…? _I DON’T WANNA MURDER YOU, RYAN._ ”

“Whoa whoa _whooooa_ ,” Steven exclaimed, suddenly appearing from across them. He was holding a bunch of folders. “Did I interrupt something?”

Ryan felt himself turn red with embarrassment. Beside Steven, Andrew was clutching his stomach, shaking with quiet laughter. Shane was acting like he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary. Ryan felt like smacking the guy in the head with one of Steven’s folders—BuzzFeed was fun, but it was such a weird workplace. Someday, all this talk about bones and voodoo dolls and murdering co-hosts was going to drive him mad for good. Like Shane said, _What a normal show we have._

Steven dropped off a bunch of papers, rattling off some dates that Ryan didn’t catch, and left just as quickly as they appeared.

“Can you keep it down next time?” Ryan groaned, shoving the papers at Shane—probably just some corporate bullshit that Ryan had no patience with.

Shane took the papers and filed them away neatly on a corner of his desk. “It’s either that, or the Bigfoot mating call. You choose.”

“What in the actual fuck is _wrong_ with you??”

“It’s an occupational hazard, man,” Shane shrugged, smirking happily again.

“You’re insufferable.”

“And you like it.”

Ryan glared at him. “I’m never saying yes to that.”

Shane grinned. “You don’t have to.”

“On second thought, I don’t think I wanna go see a movie tonight.”

“That’s a shame, I was going to get pizza too,” Shane said in a mock-thoughtful voice. “You sure you won’t be persuaded to reconsider?”

“How about you go get me some coffee and we’ll find out?”

Shane got up and stretched. “You got it.”

“Don’t prank my coffee!” Ryan called out after Shane as the guy sauntered towards the pantry. Shane just waved his hand in acknowledgment.

They had a nice chat about next season’s possible episodes when Shane returned with their drinks. Conversation had been easy and normal and fun, like it always was. And more importantly, Ryan’s coffee was done just the way he liked it—strong and creamy and prank-free.

“Boy, I can’t wait to finish up and go home tonight, I’m tired,” Ryan yawned, feeling mentally exhausted.

Beside him, Shane looked at him thoughtfully, long fingers tapping rhythmically on his mug. “Yeah. I can’t wait either.”

* * *

Shane’s mood seemed to return completely to normal as the day progressed, which made Ryan happier than the cups of coffee they consumed with abandon. They both sat down in front of their desks and worked wordlessly for a couple of hours—which was how they got a lot of work done. Banter and actual work time were two different activities. The harder they worked, the more they can banter. The more they bantered, well…the more motivated Ryan was to work. It was a good arrangement. It got things done.

“Annnnd….that’s all my work done for the day,” Shane said as he gave his keyboard one last tap with a theatrical flourish. He stretched his long limbs above his head as his computer began to shut down. “Wow, I think I want some coffee, but I dunno if I want to poison my body any further today.”

Ryan glanced at the small white board he had on his desk—he used it to track how many cups of coffee they consumed per day, in an effort to be somewhat healthier. (It didn’t really help regulate their coffee intake, but diagnosis is the first step to solving the problem…or something.) In the past, all he had to do was look at the corner of Shane’s desk and count how many disposable cups were there. But after one too many incidents of Shane’s long arms knocking down both empty and not-so-empty coffee cups, Ryan got him a mug and trained him to put the thing right beside his screen so that he couldn’t accidentally send it flying off the table. The mug was white, with a black print that said _Sasquatch Problems._

“Yeaaaah, I think you’ve had enough coffee for the day, big guy,” Ryan agreed, eyeing the tally he kept. Shane has had five so far, while he had four. Any day that they managed to keep it down to three was a good day—on hustle days, it was easily six to seven. “If you drink any more, you’d be sweating coffee.”

Shane’s lips pulled up into an amused smile. “Really? Because I actually like the sound of that. I’ll be one with the coffee.”

“You know what…I was lying. If you drink any more coffee, you’d develop an allergy to it.”

Shane made a kicked-puppy face, which was so easy for him because of his trademark sad eyes. “Awwww, we don’t want _that_.”

“Yeah, I know,” Ryan agreed, turning his own computer off. He just finished with his work too. “So no more coffee.”

“But I’m thirsty.”

“Go drink some water, man.”

“I want flavor.”

Ryan shrugged. “Go make some tea?”

“I want better flavor.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Wait until tomorrow then. You can drink more coffee tomorrow.”

Shane eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, then he sighed. “Why am I going with this again? Remind me.”

“I don’t know,” Ryan said, cracking a smile. “Considering you have a death wish, I’m surprised you’re showing interest in trying to be a little bit healthier like I am.”

Shane folded one long leg above his knee, making a show of twirling his imaginary mustache. “Ask me the question.”

“Huh?”

“You know, the question— _coffee, tea, or me?”_

“Fuck you!”

Shane burst into laughter.

Ryan glared at him. “You’re in a funny mood today, man.”

Shane shook his head, smiling. “I wonder why.”

“You gotta be thinking of something evil again. I just know it,” Ryan mumbled suspiciously, still hyperaware that it was Shane’s turn to prank him. “This is bullshit. I already live in constant fear of ghosts—now I gotta worry about getting pranked too?”

“Hey! You started this,” Shane snorted.

Ryan cast about for a comeback, making a comical expression. “Uhhh… Well… It’s still unfair! I don’t scare you this much.”

Shane mumbled something that sounded like _You have no idea_ but the sound was mostly drowned out by what sounded like an explosion in the pantry.

“Say that again?”

Shane shook his head enthusiastically. “Noooooope!”

“You’re so annoying,” Ryan grumbled, leaning forward to grab some folders from somewhere behind his screen.

There was a sound of something metallic hitting the tiled floor, startling him mildly—he still nearly elbowed his mouse off the desk though. Poor mouse almost died a tragic death…again.

“What the hell was that?” Ryan asked grumpily, ducking his head under the table to look for the culprit.

“Here you go, buddy,” Shane said, tapping him on the shoulder—he was holding Ryan’s car keys.

Ryan stared at him, confused.

Shane grabbed his wrist and pushed the keys into his palm before Ryan could pull his hand back. “Your keys fell out of your pocket when you leaned over, man. You gotta be more careful.”

“Fell out of my pocket…?” Ryan echoed, looking down at his pants. He wasn’t wearing jeans, but he was still wearing some pretty tight material. His brows furrowed.

“It’s gonna keep on happening if you insist on stuffing your keys in your pockets like a barbarian, Ryan,” Shane chastised him, clicking his tongue. “I even gave you a replacement key ring when yours broke.”

Ryan scratched his head, putting his keys back in his pocket as deep as it can go, which was pretty deep. “Well, it is a nice key ring. I…didn’t wanna risk losing it?”

Shane let out a long sigh. “So you’d rather risk losing your car keys than lose the key ring?”

“Well, if you put it like that…” Ryan trailed off, unsure how to finish his statement. “At any rate, it’s a pricey key ring. I still don’t know why you got me that.”

“To hold your keys, you short dummy,” Shane said, turning back to his desk. “I should have insisted that I found it in a garage sale if I knew the price was going to be an issue.”

Ryan slid his chair right next to Shane, punching him on the shoulder. “Are you actually mad?”

“No, I’m not mad. I just want you to use it, especially since you clearly need it.”

“Okay, okay, okay,” Ryan agreed, holding his hands up. “I’m using them! Just don’t get mad if I lose it…or if it breaks.”

The tall guy just nodded, staring at his reflection on his computer screen. After a quiet moment, he turned back to Ryan. “You ready to go?”

A glance at his watch told him they still needed to kill time for about twenty minutes. “Not yet. Gotta clock out. I wish they would change that policy soon.”

“Coffee would be amazing right now.”

Ryan shook his head. “Resist, Shane. Don’t give in. Don’t follow the light.”

Shane laughed out loud, looking all relaxed and comfy on his chair. The awkward atmosphere from earlier was completely gone now. No more scary Shane. Just all laughter and sarcasm.

“Hey Shane, why do you always watch scary movies with me?”

“Because you like watching them,” was the only answer he got.

“Yeah, but you don’t like them. So you don’t really have to watch them with me all the time.”

Shane raised an eyebrow. “So you don’t like watching movies with me?”

“I didn’t say that,” Ryan frowned at him. “You know what I meant, you ass.”

Shane just snickered. If he was a nut, he was a tough one—the nut cracker would give up before he did.

“Because it’s fun,” he said after a while, to Ryan’s surprise.

“Horror movies are fun…” Ryan summarized flatly. “Fun, or funny?”

“Not the horror movies, really,” Shane said thoughtfully. “Watching you watch them is fun.”

“You dumb _Squatch_!” Ryan laughed, pelting Shane’s shoulder with mock punches. “You’re just making fun of me the entire time!”

“One of these days, Ryan, you’d appear on a video for domestic abuse. You beat me up all the time!”

“Domestic abuse my ass!” Ryan protested.

“I bet you a hundred dollars if we made people vote, they’d agree with me.”

Ryan knew he was right— _shit_. “Betting is illegal in the workplace.”

Shane just laughed out loud again, already knowing he had won.

He glanced at his watch again, and realized it was past five. He stood up and grabbed his bag. “It’s time. Let’s go, big guy.”

He watched as Shane swallowed nervously for some reason but didn’t get to ask what was wrong because Shane managed to cross the room just as fast as he stood up, and when Ryan finally caught up to him, the tense expression was already gone.

* * *

Ryan started feeling nervous when he realized they have walked across the entire parking lot and still haven’t reached his car. He glanced discreetly at Shane, who was still rambling about their various road trips. It started when Ryan asked if Shane ever missed driving now that he rarely ever did because of the proximity of his place to their office, and the conversation somehow ended up being a trip down memory lane. Ryan bit his lip, scanning the parking lot again. It wasn’t even a big lot, but it was fairly full. Maybe he just missed it.

“Are you alright?” Shane asked, having realized that Ryan was being way too quiet. “What’s wrong?”

Ryan debated for a while whether he should tell Shane or not, but in the end, he decided maybe he was just too tired today to remember where he parked. All the late nights and endless research must have fried his brain permanently somewhere—all the more reason to try to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“Nothing,” he murmured. “Everything’s fine.”

Shane frowned at him, stories forgotten. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Ryan led the way as they circled back to the building, walking as slowly as Ryan can pass off as normal. This time, he could barely pretend to be listening to Shane—he was looking at the cars intently while simultaneously trying to remember where he had left his vehicle. He was way too preoccupied early this morning to even remember how he got into the office. No matter how much he searched, the memories just weren’t there, the same way no one truly remembers what they ate for breakfast three days ago.

When they got back to where they started, Shane started looking at him funny. But the guy didn’t say anything, so Ryan just kept quiet too. Normally, Shane would have already said something by now—he would have already made a crack about how Ryan was going senile or something. So Ryan was thankful that Shane was uncharacteristically keeping his thoughts to himself today. Ryan motioned vaguely towards the newly built car park that BuzzFeed had at the other side of the compound, hoping Shane would interpret that as _Ooops, I forgot I parked there, not here at the parking lot._ It was possible anyway—during the busiest times of the week, Ryan had to park there because the tiny parking lot was already full when he arrived. Maybe today was one of those days. He honestly couldn’t remember.

Shane just followed after him wordlessly as they combed through the first floor of the car park—it was very symmetrical and also full, which gave Ryan a reason to walk through the whole place without looking too lost or confused.

By the time they got up to the second floor—which was only half-full—Ryan could already feel his heart hammering in his chest. He was pretty sure he had brought his car (how else would he have been able to go to work?), so he was pretty sure at this point that his car got stolen. Only a small part of his brain was still holding out hope that maybe he parked on the third floor—unlikely, since he’s never even been up there—or on the side walk. Frankly, both scenarios were stupid and impossible…but the alternative was to realize that his car got stolen while parked at work, and he didn’t know how he was going to react, and Shane was most likely going to see him break down right there.

Shit shit _shit_ …

The next few scenes were a blur of colors and disjointed noises and disorganized thoughts in Ryan’s head. He could remember them walking slowly to the third floor only to find that part of the car park completely empty, but he couldn’t remember if Shane tried to speak to him or not. He could remember them making their way back down, but he couldn’t remember if he managed to look normal. He could remember sitting down on the side walk where they were right now, but he couldn’t remember whether he sat down slowly or he just dropped to the ground. His head was just a jumble of thoughts ricocheting off the walls of his skull, giving him a migraine.

He had left his personal laptop inside his car. Everything on it was backed up though, so he wasn’t going to lose anything aside from the laptop itself. Shane’s weekend bag was still on his back seat…and he didn’t know what Shane had in that bag aside from clothes. He couldn’t even stomach looking at Shane right now—he was sure he looked like an insane man right now, and he was afraid to see the reaction on Shane’s face. That was going to be the last straw for him to have a full-on mental breakdown.

And the _car_ … In all honesty, he couldn’t care less about the price of the car right now—he was sure that it was going to sink in after a while, but right now, all he could think about was how that car has taken them on so many trips together. So many of their fun memories together were tied to that car, and that wasn’t something insurance could take care of. Maybe he could buy the exact same vehicle as a replacement…? But somehow, that felt wrong. Call him sentimental, but he felt like he was losing an important piece of his life. It was a stupid thought and he knew that. Realistically speaking, he was gonna have to trade in the car at some point, but at least that would have been a voluntary choice. He would have had the chance to reminisce old memories, and maybe even say goodbye. And…maybe he would get to choose the replacement with Shane beside him. He would make sure to choose a vehicle with decent legroom—

Suddenly, the image in his mind changed to that of Shane.

He knew that this period on their life wouldn’t last forever. Someday, Unsolved would end—it was not a thought that Ryan felt comfortable thinking about, but he knew from the bottom of his heart that it was going to happen. And the same goes for Shane. He knew that people didn’t always stay together. People say goodbye, whether in good or bad terms. What circumstances the goodbye would be uttered in, he didn’t know…just that it would happen. And that thought twisted his gut in ways he didn’t know how to deal with. But at least it was something he expected, something he knew would happen.

…but not _this_. This wasn’t natural. Just as his car was stolen in the blink of an eye, what if Shane was ripped from his life so abruptly he didn’t even have time to say goodbye?

The thought hit him like a punch to the gut he couldn’t help but gasp, folding in on himself.

“Ryan!” Shane grabbed his shoulders, shaking him until the colors and sounds swirling around him started to make sense again. It was a while before he realized that he was shaking, and that his vision was spinning, his hands cold with sweat. He felt like his head was underwater, and he couldn’t breathe. Every time Shane spoke his name—or was he yelling? Ryan couldn’t tell, everything sounded so muddled—Ryan felt like he was being slowly pulled out of the water. “Ryan, come on man, talk to me. Say something, please.”

Ryan tried to focus his eyes on Shane—even when everything else was spinning around him before, Shane was the only one that stayed in focus—before realizing that a warm, stinging wetness was obstructing his vision. The tears didn’t quite fall, but Ryan couldn’t see past the wet film.

“ _Jesus Christ_ ,” Shane hissed, his fingers digging into Ryan’s shoulder almost painfully. The sensation sparked more life back into Ryan, pulling him out of the haze his thoughts have become. “I’m so sorry, Ryan. I’m so, so sorry…”

Ryan wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he couldn’t remember how to control his body. It was that, or he was too numb to actually feel anything, much less control them.

Shane wrapped one arm around him, pulling him close. “Everything is going to be okay, Ryan. I promise, everything is going to be alright. Sssshh… You can stop worrying now, buddy. Everything is fine. I’m right here, hey…”

Ryan wanted to tell him that his presence alone was already making things fine, but his mind and body clearly weren’t on the same page. Where his mind was already starting to recover, thanks to Shane’s grounding presence, his body was still reeling from shock.

When Shane let go of Ryan, the pooling wetness on Ryan’s eyes made its way down his cheek.

“ _Fuck_!” Shane cursed, making Ryan flinch. The wild, worried expression in Shane’s eyes melted into concern and sadness as he met Ryan’s scared look. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I didn’t imagine it was going to be like this… I’m really sorry.”

Ryan heard Shane, but he didn’t understand what the guy meant. All he could think about was the burning feeling of Shane’s fingertips caressing his jawline, his thumb wiping away the single tear that Ryan involuntarily shed. His breath hitched as he watched Shane’s deep brown eyes grow closer and closer until he could see the golden flecks swimming in that dark chocolate hue.

Aware of nothing but the thunderous beat of his heart in his chest, Ryan closed his eyes as Shane pressed their lips together in a firm kiss, effectively washing away everything that was wrong in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so it's turning out to be so much longer than I originally thought it would reaaaaaally be. But you're not complaining, right?? Ahahaha! Send me some looooove and comment on my fic! Thanks! #BerryBoys


	4. Don't Call Me Baby, But Yeah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case there's some confusion about it, the sections in italics are flashbacks. Also, these flashbacks are non-linear.

_Shane bit his lip as he tried not to say anything that would either piss off the currently freaking out Ryan or terrify the poor guy any further. It wasn’t easy to keep quiet, but there was nothing else to do. ‘Less talk, less mistake’ was an adage he lived by—and wisely so. It was a particularly helpful piece of advice that saved his ass countless times when dealing with a Ryan that was scared beyond reason. During times like this, when Ryan was trembling uncontrollably and tormented by his own dark musings, Shane’s only job was to be there for him. It didn’t matter what Ryan needed from him at the time—an ear to talk off, a shoulder to lean on, a hand to hold, a waist to grab, or even a neck to hide in—all he had to do was be there. The simplicity of the whole thing was both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes Shane was floored by how much his presence seemed to be a source of comfort for Ryan. But sometimes he felt an overwhelming need to do so much more for the man he loved, and he had no idea how to do this for him when Ryan himself didn’t ask for anything other than Shane’s existence._

_“That movie was so damn scary,” Ryan whimpered, shuddering beside Shane. They were walking slowly away from the cinema, with no real destination in mind. Ryan was hiding behind Shane as if they were about to enter a particularly scary room in the haunted locations they investigated, his muscular body pressing against Shane with enough pressure to transfer body heat through their clothes. It was a subconscious tendency that he doubted Ryan even knew he had, and Shane barely remembered a time when Ryan just shook quietly in place, enduring the onslaught of his fear._

_Shane took a deep breath before trying to muster the most soothing voice he could. “But you loved it, right? I know you enjoyed it, buddy. You’ve been looking forward to that movie, yeah?”_

_Ryan nodded, forgetting that Shane couldn’t possibly see him—not that Shane needed an answer, although he did feel the bobbing of Ryan’s head against his shoulder. He knew Ryan well enough to know how the guy felt before questions were even asked._

_“It’s alright, Ry,” Shane whispered, looking over his shoulder to meet Ryan’s troubled gaze. “It was a good movie, and I’m sure an equally good dinner will push the scary thoughts out of your mind.”_

_Ryan shook his head fervently, his eyes going wild at what Shane knew were darker, more twisted recollections of the scenes in the movie—Ryan’s greatest fears were born from the machinations of his own highly creative mind._

_“Ssshh, it’s okay, it’s over,” Shane said softly but firmly as they wove through the night crowd. “Let’s go find ourselves some dinner, okay?”_

_“I need a drink,” Ryan exhaled shakily, tugging at Shane’s sleeve. “I can’t eat—I feel like I’m gonna hurl.”_

_“Ryan…”_

_The guy’s black eyes glinted in the night as he pouted at Shane, his usually adorable expression slightly marred with an undercurrent of desperation. “I just wanna drink, Shane. Please…?”_

_Shane sighed. This wasn’t unexpected, he supposed. “Alright.”_

_If Ryan failed to let go of Shane’s sleeve as they went from bar to bar, drinking away Ryan’s nerves, Shane just attributed that to Ryan’s need for a security blanket of some sort. Shane was just…his teddy bear, or something. It didn’t even have to be him—an actual teddy bear would have sufficed for Ryan’s needs._

_…probably._

_“Ryan, buddy…you gotta help me out here,” Shane huffed, hooking his arms under Ryan’s armpits to keep the drunk—completely wasted—man standing. Shane did his best to stop Ryan from getting trashed, but every time he held Ryan back from taking a shot, Ryan looked at him with huge eyes glistening with an expression like he was gonna burst at the seams. It was…incredibly difficult to resist. So here they were, on a nearly deserted side street, hobbling around as Ryan tried to not empty his guts out on the pavement. The strong smell of alcohol wafting around Ryan assaulted Shane’s nostrils as be held the man tightly against him._

_“Shaaaaaaane,” Ryan whined, letting his entire body weight sink into Shane’s firm grasp. He looked up at his co-host with glassy eyes and a giggle. “Are we home yet?”_

_Shane rolled his eyes, adjusting his hold so that Ryan didn’t slip. “You wish, man. We’re barely two steps out of the bar.”_

_Ryan buried his face into Shane’s chest and giggled uncontrollably. “That’s so fucking weeeeird. We walked a lot! Where are we—?”_

_“Outside the bar,” Shane said flatly, trying to ignore how Ryan was nuzzling his face under Shane’s suit, his nose making strange doodles on Shane’s ribcage._

_“The bar...?” Ryan echoed slowly after a while, straightening up. “Are we going drinking?”_

_“Oh my God, I’m never letting you drink this much again,” Shane grumbled, prying Ryan’s hands away from his pelvis—the man had shoved his cold fingers under Shane’s suit, grabbing Shane’s waist like a basketball, and clumsily slid downwards. “Ryan…get yourself together, man.”_

_Protesting his removal, Ryan raised his arms up and locked them around Shane’s neck—his drunken grip unbelievably strong. “I’m so glad you watched the movie with me—hic.”_

_“That’s great, Ryan,” Shane said distractedly, looking around to make sure there were no prying eyes latched on to them. They weren’t celebrities per se, but they were still fairly recognizable, at least in LA. The last thing they needed was a tabloid scoop of them hugging in a dark alley, painting a fake—but not completely undesired—picture of romance. “Buddy, we need to get you home. You’re drunk as fuck, and you’re not exactly light.”_

_“S’rude,” Ryan murmured, his lips moving against Shane’s pec. “I’m not faaaaat.”_

_Shane fought the urge to shiver at the sensation of Ryan’s lips moving against his chest so erotically. He pushed his best friend away firmly. “That’s it, Ryan. We’re getting out of here. Come on.”_

_With steady coaxing, nonstop pulling and dragging, and a whole lot of accidental groping—mostly done by Ryan to an increasingly flustered Shane—they managed to stumble back into Shane’s apartment. Shane would have brought the man back straight to his own place, but Ryan was too uncooperative and surprisingly strong even in his inebriated state._

_…okay, so maybe Shane was also getting hot and bothered, and he couldn’t handle any more of Ryan’s unbridled grabbing and manhandling. He was fairly sure he wasn’t going to snap—he had better self-control than that, thank you very much—but that didn’t mean he liked torturing himself and testing his limits. Nope._

_“Alright, buddy. I’m getting you some pajamas, but you gotta change on your own,” Shane huffed, dropping Ryan on his couch. They never had reason to pit their physical strengths against each other—they even declined that arm wrestling challenge during a Q &A episode some time ago—but now Shane was certain that Ryan would kick his ass if they ever tested it. Hands down, Ryan would win. It wasn’t a very fun thing to realize, but Ryan never had to know._

_Shane grabbed a small duffel bag in the corner of his bedroom and shuffled through the contents. Ryan called it his weekender bag, but it was more like a month-long bag. Seriously, Ryan had a fair amount of clothing and other stuff taking permanent residence in Shane’s apartment. Any more than that and Shane would have to start charging rent._

_He hastily picked out a set that he knew Ryan always wore, and hurried back into the living room, worried that Ryan might fall off the couch and break his coffee table—or worse, his own skull._

_“Hey bud, here you go,” Shane said, dropping the clothes on the table. “I’ll go make us some popcorn if you want. But you gotta change first.”_

_Shane went to the fridge to grab some water, but Ryan still hasn’t moved by the time he set down the glasses on the far end of the coffee table. He wasn’t entirely sure if Ryan was asleep—he had one hand covering his eyes, his raised elbow braced against the couch._

_Shane thought for a moment, then he whispered, “Ghosts. Aren’t. Real.”_

_“Shut up, Shane,” Ryan grumbled, his face—or what Shane could see of it, anyway—contorting into an expression halfway between smiling and grimacing. “Jesus Christ, my head hurts…”_

_Shane moved over and sat beside Ryan’s knees. “If you’re awake, then get up and drink some water. And go change, jeez. I don’t wanna offend you or anything, but you stink, man.”_

_Ryan mumbled something unintelligible, his lips pushing together into a pout._

_Shane nudged his denim-clad knees lightly. “Come on, Ryan. That can’t be comfortable. You’ll feel better in a bit.”_

_“Alright, alright,” Ryan whined, his hands moving clumsily to his collar. He started fidgeting with the top button, then stopped after five seconds of pawing haphazardly at the thing. “S’hard, Shane… Wanna sleep…”_

_Shane nudged Ryan’s knees again, causing the man to bristle slightly. Shane did it again, getting Ryan to open his eyes and glare blearily at him. Shane looked at Ryan thoughtfully, realizing that coaxing can only get Ryan to do so much—sometimes, challenges worked better._

_“You can’t even unbutton your shirt, man. What would the Boogaras say? I bet they’re all crying right now,” Shane drawled with a smirk, daring Ryan to move._

_Ryan stirred from his death-like slump on the couch, using his elbows to raise himself slightly. “Y-you talk a…a lot for someone who s-still got a suit on—hic. Maybe you don’t know how to unbutton—”_

_“I’ll change when you do,” Shane cut him off—a chatty Ryan was a Ryan that didn’t get any progress done. “Come on, bud. Popcorn is waiting.”_

_For a long moment, Ryan just stared at Shane with a dazed look in his eyes. His lips were pursed, as if he was deep in thought, then his eyes moved downwards ever so slightly. Shane estimated Ryan was looking intently at something just below his chin. The intent stare dragged on long enough that Shane felt heat stirring up underneath his skin again. He could feel his cheeks starting to burn._

_“Ryan, what—”_

_Before he can finish his question, Ryan had already lunged forward and grabbed him by the suit, pulling Shane down with him as he slumped back down on the couch. Shane tried to get off, but Ryan’s hands were fisted tightly around his suit and shirt—so tightly, in fact, that his buttons threatened to pop._

_He was vaguely aware that he was wearing one of his nicer shirts and having someone rip it was probably something he should put a stop to, but that concern was overpowered by the fact that he was on top of Ryan—something he never imagined would happen in this lifetime—and Ryan had him locked in place with fistfuls of fabric. Ryan’s warm breaths fanned across his face._

_“Don’t move,” Ryan hissed right next to his ear as his grip on Shane’s collar loosened._

_Ryan’s suddenly deft fingers moved to Shane’s top button. With one slow but fluid movement, the button slid out of its buttonhole. Ryan paused for a moment, then his fingers moved to the next one, popping them just as easily._

_Reason returned to Shane as he felt his collar loosen. He started moving away, mostly by reflex, when Ryan slid his thumbs into the now open shirt and forcibly pulled Shane back down to him. Shane gasped as Ryan pushed a knee between his legs, brushing so casually against his crotch. Blood started rushing downwards, pooling in his belly…_

_“I told you not to move,” Ryan murmured huskily, his voice deep and seductive. When Shane showed no signs of moving again, Ryan went on popping more buttons. It took a few long moments and half of his buttons undone before Shane finally managed to find his voice._

_“Ryan… What the hell are you doing?”_

_Ryan’s lips pulled into a wide smile—an expression that looked so joyful and innocent, if it weren’t for the fact that he was crazy drunk and currently grinding against Shane. When he spoke, he looked so proud of himself. “I know how to undo buttons!”_

_Shane felt like his head was going to explode. Ryan, his cheerful idiot of a friend, was incredibly dense whether he was sober or otherwise. And that was fine. But when he was both dense AND hot, it was a huge problem._

_Shane took a deep breath to calm himself down—note, it didn’t work whatsoever—and sighed. “Okay buddy, you’ve proven yourself. You can undo buttons. Now let go, and get changed. Please.”_

_Ryan’s eyes narrowed again, throwing him a suspicious look as if Shane was trying to swindle him._

_After a long moment of consideration, Ryan put his hands on Shane’s shoulders and tugged on them, motioning for him to come closer. Except…there was no space for ‘closer.’ They were only inches apart._

_“Ryan, what…?” Shane trailed off as he pushed against the couch, his long arms allowing for a bit of room between his and Ryan’s face. But between holding himself up with it so that he wasn’t putting his entire weight down on Ryan and using it to fight the drunk man’s pull, his exhausted arms wouldn’t last any longer. He was already shaking._

_“C’mere,” Ryan whined, tugging harder. Shane almost buckled—_

_“I’m getting up,” Shane stammered, moving away as fast as he can, in whatever way he can. He didn’t make it far._

_Frustrated, Ryan lifted himself up and pressed his face against the crook of Shane’s neck. Before Shane could even blink, he felt teeth sinking into his collarbone._

_The shock of getting bitten and the stinging pain that shot across his entire shoulder was quickly dulled by the sensation of a warm, wet tongue lapping up the bite._

_“Nngghh,” Shane keened—the feeling of Ryan’s tongue caressing his own bite mark was so electric Shane could feel his toes curling involuntarily._

_Before he can process anything else other than the fact that Ryan Bergara was currently suckling on his skin right where he was extremely sensitive, Ryan traced his lips from Shane’s collarbone to his shoulder and bit into the meaty flesh, hard._

_Pain and pleasure shot down Shane’s spine, making him shiver deliciously, his erection protesting against the tight confines of his jeans. He could feel lust starting to cloud his judgment, his breath coming out in ragged gasps._

_Before Ryan could bite him again—or before his own desire took over—Shane tore himself away from Ryan and ran into the bathroom, the door slamming behind him loudly as he rushed to splash cold water on his face. The ice cold temperature of the water barely registered against the flashfire burning across his cheeks._

_After half-drowning himself in the sink in an effort to douse the fire in his blood and knock some sense back into his head—he couldn’t even look at his own reflection in the mirror—he returned to the living room nervously, only to find Ryan sound asleep and snoring._

_“Jesus Christ…” he exhaled, sinking down into the floor and clutching his head, trying to ignore the tender bruise he could feel already forming on his collarbone._

* * *

_Ryan stumbled out of bed, groggy and wobbly. Without even looking at his phone, he instinctively knew it was early-as-fuck-o’clock, on a Sunday morning no less. No one should be allowed to rape his doorbell like the unidentified moron outside his door was currently doing._

_“Jesus Christ, hold on, will you?” he grumbled, tripping over his own feet as he hurried to the door. He swung the door open, ready to let his inner Ricky Goldsworth out. “…Shane?!”_

_Shane, tall as ever, leaned on his doorway casually. “Yep, the one and only.”_

_Ryan stared wordlessly at Shane for a long moment, his forehead crinkling as he wondered what on Earth Shane was doing at his door, looking sharp and ready for a date. Again, on a Sunday morning no less._

_“You know, you can take a picture. It would last longer.” Shane grinned at Ryan’s resulting frown. “So, not that I’m uncomfortable here—your doorway is great and all that—but aren’t you gonna let me in?”_

_Ryan stepped to the side mechanically, waving Shane in. It instantly occurred to him that he wasn’t exactly dressed appropriately—what was the definition of appropriate in one’s own place, anyway? He looked down at the oversized BuzzFeed sweater he was wearing, his black boxers hidden under its hem. Okay, so maybe he looked like he was wearing the definition of a boyfriend shirt. He looked back up at his unannounced guest, and sure enough, Shane was watching him with a coolly amused look on his face. He had made himself comfortable on Ryan’s couch, too._

_“What are you looking at?” Ryan asked petulantly, remembering how he got woken up rudely and deciding he wanted to be grumpy about it._

_Shane ignored the question with a lazy smirk. “You’re wearing my sweater, aren’t you?”_

_Ryan flinched—so that’s why it was wayyyy too long. He couldn’t even deny it, so he just went with a counterattack. “Why do you have to go crazy with the doorbell when I gave you a spare key?”_

_Shane shrugged, but his voice was thoughtful when he answered. “I didn’t know if I could actually use it, I guess.”_

_Ryan rolled his eyes and walked back into his room to grab some shorts. “You worry about the weirdest things, man. Just use it next time like a normal human being.”_

_“Next time,” Shane echoed, looking around Ryan’s place. “I take it I woke you up? Sorry about that.”_

_Ryan sat down opposite Shane and yawned. “If you’re really sorry about it, you can go make some breakfast. I burned my breakfast-making energy when I answered the door without throttling whoever was outside, so.”_

_“My apologies, Ricky,” Shane laughed, getting up. He went to the kitchen and started pulling pans out. “You okay with eggs and bacon?”_

_Ryan nodded, suppressing another yawn. “Thought you didn’t like eggs much.”_

_Shane just shrugged—a very typical Shane thing to do. “That’s right. But it doesn’t mean I can’t cook them for you.”_

_A few minutes passed—during which Ryan thought he may have drifted off into a light sleep—with nothing but the sound of sizzling and crackling emanating from the kitchen. Paired with the gentle clunking of pots and pans and the soft tinkle of silverware against plates, it made for a very soothing Sunday morning. Alright, so maybe Ryan wasn’t so grumpy anymore about getting dragged out of bed._

_The smell of fresh, strong coffee suddenly wafted from Shane’s direction—and yep, definitely not grumpy anymore. In fact, it was turning out to be one of the best mornings he has ever had lately. This definitely felt…nice._

_“Breakfast is served,” Shane said with a flourish, smiling warmly at Ryan._

_“Uhhhm…thanks,” Ryan mumbled, feeling really warm and cozy._

_They had breakfast in comfortable silence, nicely accented with the occasional bird song here and there. It was a picture perfect morning, and Ryan wasn’t sure what in the world he had done to deserve such a nice treat._

_As soon as Ryan was done eating, Shane gathered their plates and took them to the sink. There was the sound of running water, and a soft humming that Ryan eventually realized was Shane singing under his breath. His heartbeat picked up a bit at the thought of an incredibly domestic Shane currently milling about, doing stuff in his place as if it was the most natural thing to do._

_“Shane?”_

_The sound of plates being stacked paused for a moment. “I can’t hear you, Ryan. I’ll be back there in a moment.”_

_When Shane returned to the living room, he sat down in front of Ryan with a serene expression and a gentle smile. “That was a nice breakfast. Thanks for the food.”_

_Ryan’s jaw went slack. “But I didn’t even do anything! You did all the cooking, and you even did the dishes.”_

_“Well, technically, it’s still your food. And I guess I just ate it without asking,” Shane said, putting his phone down beside him._

_“It’s okay, man. Don’t worry about it,” Ryan said, his gears starting to turn properly now that he’s had some coffee and food in his system. “Why are you here, by the way? Am I forgetting something…?”_

_Shane shook his head, looking at Ryan sheepishly. “Well…”_

_Ryan’s eyebrow climbed higher. “Well?”_

_Shane ran a bony hand through his hair, mussing it up in a way that worked so well for him. “We’re going out today! Surprise!”_

_“Whaaaat?”_

_Shane grabbed his phone and unlocked it quickly. He showed the screen to Ryan. “There.”_

_“Is this a joke?” Ryan asked suspiciously, looking at an ad for a shoe sale. “Are you joshing me right now?”_

_Shane put on a mock hurt expression. “I just wanted to take advantage of the shoe deals that you thoughtfully sent me the other day…”_

_“You ass, you know that was a prank!” Ryan grimaced, slumping back down on the couch. For a moment there, he got excited about going out with Shane. Weekends were a lot more enjoyable when Shane was around._

_“Regardless,” Shane said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I wanted a new pair anyway. It was perfect timing.”_

_Ryan perked up again—unless he was misinterpreting Shane’s honest-looking expression, it seemed that his tall buddy really wanted to buy shoes. “And you’re taking me with you because…?”_

_Shane had a weird look on his face for a short second there before he reached over to tousle Ryan’s hair. “So many questions, Bergara. Just give me a straight answer—yes or no?”_

_“Yes,” Ryan blurted out, immediately followed by his brows pushing together. “But what’s the question exactly?”_

_Shane just laughed out loud, his long fingers scratching at the back of Ryan’s neck like Ryan was some kind of cat—it felt nice. “Go get changed, Ryan. I’ll wait for you here.”_

_Shane chatted lazily on the way to the shoe store about what he thought they could use for episodes of Unsolved—which was an incredibly rare phenomenon. Shane almost never volunteered suggestions for episodes or investigation-worthy places. He claimed it was all the same to him, ‘a whole lot of nothing.’  But Shane had clearly woken up on a different side of his bed this morning, and it wasn’t necessarily a bad side. He even offered to drive—which was an even rarer phenomenon! Of course Ryan declined and won that round, but the offer was still a nice surprise. All throughout the drive, Ryan was bewildered by how Shane was being incredibly…pleasant._

_Not that Shane was usually unpleasant, of course. In fact, Shane was a great guy. But today, he was all soft and sweet. Like a lullaby. Ryan found himself enjoying the moment, drifting, drifting…falling?_

_Ryan shook his head clear of the floaty thoughts that was making him feel weightless—he couldn’t afford to space out while driving. Especially not with precious cargo in his vehicle._

_Wait…what?_

_“You okay, buddy?” Shane asked, eyes trained on him. It occurred to Ryan just now that the permanently droopy appearance of Shane’s eyes made him look like he had bedroom eyes, at least at certain angles._

_…okay, whoa. Those thoughts are even more distracting than the one before it._

_“Ry?”_

_Ryan snapped out of his thoughts that had Shane and bedroom all in one statement, the rare nickname catching his attention. This was turning out to be an incredible morning full of rare happenings, he thought to himself. “Uhhhm, yeah?”_

_“I can drive, if you’re still sleepy.”_

_“Do I look sleepy?” Ryan asked curiously._

_Shane cocked his head to the side. “Well, it’s hard to tell, actually. It just seemed to be the most likely explanation, since I woke you up early. Not that it was really early, but, you know.”_

_“I see,” Ryan said, looking intently at the road. They were just a few turns away from the store. “Well, I’m not sleepy. Just thinking about some things. Anyway, we’re almost there. Let’s grab some coffee first though.”_

_“Alright,” Shane nodded, putting his shades back on. “You got it.”_

_Ryan almost forgot about the road, distracted by the man beside him—the denim jacket and dark shades combo never failed to make Shane look like a Hollywood actor in disguise. Annnnnd…there goes his thoughts again. He shook his head when he realized he fell down the rabbit hole of Shane-related musings again, deciding right there and then that an extra espresso shot—or two—was all he needed to get rid of the cheesy thoughts he was having._

_One satisfying stop at Starbucks later, they finally stepped into the shoe store that Shane wanted to go to. Ryan was just starting to admire all the different sneakers they had on display when Shane dragged him to a corner and made him help choose a color._

_“But why me?” Ryan wondered out loud, studying the color combinations of the hiking boots that Shane showed him. There weren’t a lot of options to choose from, but the subtle differences to each color scheme made it surprisingly more difficult to decide on one. He sat down on a bench and leaned down to look at all of them more closely._

_“Just pick one,” Shane said. “If you make me choose, I’ll just end up getting the same color I have.”_

_Ryan glanced at his feet and realized that Shane was wearing the same shoes—except his were tattered and worn out. “Oh.”_

_Shane followed Ryan’s gaze. “I’ve had the same brand for about a decade now.”_

_“Wow, you must really like those shoes.”_

_Shane scooted down beside Ryan, which was no easy feat considering the narrow space between the display racks. He picked up a brown one that caught his eye and turned it around in his hand. “This color looks nice, actually.”_

_“It is,” Ryan agreed, finding the brown shade easy on the eyes. “That looks really nice. Makes me wonder if I want one, hmmm…”_

_“You wanna try one?” Shane asked, his face lighting up with a boyish smile that made Ryan nod instantly—no one could say no to a face like that!_

_Shane called a shop assistant and asked for a pair in Ryan’s size. And when the box arrived, Shane put it down beside him…and grabbed Ryan’s ankle._

_Ryan barely managed to stop himself from yelping—Shane’s long slender fingers wrapped around his ankle like a creepy skeleton monster from under the bed, and it was more than enough to scare him shitless._

_“What the hell, man? You scared me!”_

_Shane just looked up at him, confused. “I thought you said you wanted to try them on?” When Ryan didn’t say anything immediately—he was still shocked speechless—Shane tugged his shoe off his foot, and started reaching for the other one._

_“Wait, wait, I can do it myself!” Ryan protested, trying not to fall off the bench due to a combination of feeling scared and being ticklish._

_Shane just shook his head, smiling at Ryan’s jumpiness. “Every little thing scares you, man. Don’t worry, I got this. Just sit down there and try not to scream.”_

_Ryan laughed shakily, gritting his teeth at the hair-raising feeling of bony fingers wrapped around his ankle—who knew ankles could feel so damn sensitive? “You tall fucker. Jesus.”_

_After successfully prying both shoes off of Ryan’s feet, Shane took the brown pair out of its box and proceeded to loosen up the laces._

_“I can do it myself,” Ryan insisted when he realized Shane had no intention of handing it over to him. “Just give it to me—”_

_“There’s a certain trick to putting them on,” Shame explained cryptically, ignoring Ryan’s protests._

_Ryan had intended to protest more, but there was something about watching Shane hold his foot so firmly and yet so gently that made the words die in his throat. Shane just looked so serious about it, with the same intensity that Ryan imagined he had when he was working on Unsolved scripts. He couldn’t imagine why, but right now didn’t feel like the moment to call Shane out on it. So he just watched Shane do his thing, carefully maneuvering Ryan’s foot into each boot and lacing them up with the perfect amount of snugness. Ryan was surprised he didn’t feel ticklish at all. Shane’s hand just felt…big and warm._

_“There,” Shane said, stepping away to look examine his work from afar. “It looks nice on you, Ryan.”_

_Ryan looked down at his feet and found himself impressed by how the boots looked on him. “You’re right, hmmmm.”_

_Shane clapped him on the shoulder as he sat down beside Ryan. “You should go get it. It feels nice too, right? Comfy?”_

_“Yeah,” Ryan agreed, stomping his feet on the ground to test the feel. It felt good alright. “Are you gonna get a pair too?”_

_Shane nodded solemnly, and asked for his size when a shop assistant approached them, no doubt smelling a double sale. Ryan could swear the assistant was ready with the second box in two seconds flat, and they were herded to the cashier expertly in no time at all._

_“We match,” Ryan blurted out as they walked out of the store with their brand new boots, the thought occurring to him belatedly._

_Shane beamed happily—an expression that Ryan only ever saw on Shane when they were together. “We’ll kill ghouls in these boots!”_

_Ryan felt like he was suddenly up in cloud nine. “That sounds like a good catch phrase!”_

_“Yeah, except ghosts aren’t real,” Shane chortled, looking even happier than he was moments ago._

_“Oh shut up, Shane.”_

_It was a rare morning indeed, full of rare happenings. And Ryan loved it._

* * *

_Shane poured himself his second cup of coffee for the day, his thoughts all over the place. Two days had passed, and Ryan’s killer hangover was finally gone. The only remnant of that eventful night was the colorful bruise on Shane’s collarbone, and reddish brown bite mark on his shoulder. Thankfully, both are easily hidden under his shirt. A few days—maybe a week, tops—and even this would be gone._

_He turned around, and nearly bumped into Jen._

_“Ooops!” Jen exclaimed, only managing to stop Shane from toppling her over by pushing him back with both hands. “Whew! I almost died!”_

_Shane put his mug down on the counter and immediately started gathering the papers that fell out of Jen’s folder. He handed them back to her, standing back up. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention.”_

_“Naaah, it’s okay, man,” Jen said good-naturedly, patting him on his arm. Then she stopped abruptly. “……oh.”_

_Shane looked at her curiously, only to find her wide-eyed, her jaw slack open. “What’s wrong?”_

_Jen closed her mouth and cocked her head to the side, her expression scrunched up._

_“What is it?” Shane asked again, starting to feel antsy. “Did I hurt you somewhere?”_

_Jen shook her head, her eyes still fixed on Shane. She then looked him in the eyes and asked, “So, uhh, what’s with the hickey?”_

_Shane froze, his hand flying to his neck. Sure enough, his shirt was askew—probably because he scooted down to grab papers from the floor—and the spot on his shoulder where Ryan bit him was exposed. He patted his shirt back down, avoiding Jen’s increasingly interested stare._

_“Come on, man! You can tell me,” Jen mused, clapping him on the arm. “That wasn’t just a hickey either—those were some very clear teeth marks.”_

_Shane chided himself internally—he should have worn a t-shirt. “Uhhh…yeah, I guess.”_

_Jen whistled. “Aggressive!”_

_Shane winced, remembering the wild, dazed look in Ryan’s eyes as he held Shane down effortlessly. He could feel his skin threatening to heat up._

_Jen leaned forward slightly, squinting at Shane. Then her eyes grew wide. “From this angle, I can see another discoloration on your collarbone—oh my gosh, Shane.”_

_Almost immediately after she called him out on the admittedly scandalous marks on him, Shane noticed Ryan turning around the corner on the way back to their desks—the meeting must be over._

_Jen nudged him on the arm, looking beyond curious. “Sooooo, what’s—”_

_Shane shushed her immediately, just in time before Ryan saw them and started heading to the pantry._

_“Hey Shane,” Ryan beamed at him, the bored expression on his face—a look that he always sported after corporate meetings—evaporating instantly. “I could totally use some coffee right now. That meeting sucked. Anyway, what’s up?”_

_“Uuuuuuhhhh,” Jen trailed off uncertainly, looking at Shane. Shane just shrugged and reached for the coffee maker to pour another cup. “Uhhhm…nothing?”_

_Milk, sugar, temperature, check. Alright._

_“Here you go, buddy,” Shane said, handing Ryan a steaming mug of coffee. “You gonna be editing?”_

_Ryan nodded, taking a long grateful sip of his coffee._

_“I’ll be there soon,” Shane smiled at him, enjoying the innocent look of bliss on Ryan’s face—he scoffs at Shane’s modest ideas of luxury, but he was a man of simple joys himself. If anything, Ryan was as down-to-earth as anyone could be._

_“Yeah? Cool,” Ryan smiled back at him, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You’re afraid I’m gonna edit out all your skeptic bullshit if you’re not there to watch me work?”_

_Shane rolled his eyes. “Pfffff. Oh please.”_

_Ryan laughed. “Alright, I’m going. See you there, Bigfoot.”_

_As soon as Ryan was out of sight, Shane could feel Jen’s stare drilling a hole at the back of his head. He turned around to face her, sure that she wasn’t going to let this go until she got to ask her questions. It wasn’t entirely undesired, he admitted to himself—maybe he needed a listening ear too. Most days, his secret was easy to keep. But sometimes he just felt like he had the world on his shoulders, and he just desperately needed a break._

_After Ryan’s stunt two days ago, a stunt that the man didn’t even remember the morning after, today was one of those days._

_“So, uhhh,” Jen trailed off, looking around as if searching for the right word._

_“Just ask me straight,” Shane said, sighing._

_“I’m trying,” Jen rolled her eyes, moving closer to Shane. “Anyway…so uhhh, that bite mark. And that bruise…hickey…whatever that other one was.”_

_Shane waited for the rest of it. “Uh huh…?”_

_Jen threw him a look like she was genuinely concerned. “Well, what does this mean when it comes to Ryan?”_

_Shane didn’t expect the question, making him pause. For starters, he didn’t quite understand what she meant. And the confusion must have shown on his face, because Jen’s next words were accentuated by exasperated eye rolls._

_“Oh, you know what I mean. I know you have feelings for Ryan,” she said, making his heart skip a beat. She waved a hand at him before he could speak. “No matter how much you hide it, not that it looks like you’re hiding it, it just shows.”_

_Shane was starting to sweat nervously. His next words were measured. “What do you mean it shows?”_

_Jen gaped at him for a while, then recovered and put on an even more exasperated look. “Seriously? Are you really denying it?”_

_Shane tried to shrug, but it came out more like a flinch._

_“Shane, look me in the eyes and tell me you do not have feelings for Ryan Bergara.”_

_Shane attempted to meet her determined gaze, but ultimately cannot bring himself to speak. His heart was hammering in his chest so bad he wanted to sit down and have a moment to himself._

_“I thought so.”_

_Shane felt both scared and relieved—scared because this meant someone knew his secret now, and relieved because Jen was a good friend, and he needed advice too, just like any other human being—and the difference between the two strong emotions was making him dizzy._

_“But like I asked earlier…what about Ryan? You’re walking around with a hickey you’re barely hiding, and yet you can’t even deny your feelings for him. So, what’s going on, man?”_

_It was one thing for her to guess that he felt more than friendship towards Ryan, but he wondered if this other issue was something he was willing to admit to her as well. Ryan didn’t even remember it anyway—something that he still found difficult to admit, even to himself, stung. He knew there was no hope the guy was going to remember. He was drunk as a skunk. And Shane knew what Ryan’s memory was like when he’s drunk. He knew all that. He knew all that, but…it still stung. It was pathetic._

_Jen, oblivious to his internal monologue, continued to wonder out loud. “I just really don’t get it, Shane. If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, then you’ve been acting all protective and sweet around Ryan for more than a year now. Maybe two years? It’s been so long I can’t even remember when it began anymore. Which only tells me you’re more serious than I think any of us realize. But then, if that’s the case…then why parade something like that around? You care about him so much. Just now, you even made coffee for him as if it’s your job. You have feelings for him, that's really not a question. But that hickey… Does this mean you’re fooling around because you can't—won’t—admit your feelings to him, and you’re blowing steam off somewhere else? Is that what this is?”_

_Shane almost smashed his mug against the counter, not realizing how much force he was using. The loud sound snapped him out of the anger that erupted in him when Jen suggested that he was fooling around while harboring feelings for Ryan. Something viciously protective of Ryan inside him wanted to lash out and inflict damage._

_“Jeeez, are you alright?” Jen asked, not at all bothered by the mug, or Shane’s loss of composure._

_Shane shook his head, trying to calm down the boiling emotions within. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”_

_“It doesn’t matter, it’s okay. But anyway…well? Is that what this is?”_

_Shane slumped against the counter and ran a shaky hand through his hair. He decided there wasn’t much to lose by letting her know the truth. So he told her._

_“Ryan did that.”_

_And for the nth time within the hour, Jen’s jaw dropped open again. He proceeded to explain just exactly how the night unfolded. They watched a movie, Ryan got drunk, Shane brought him home, Ryan attacked him. And the only proof of the night were the marks on his chest, and the memory of it that only Shane had._

_…it might as well not have happened for Ryan. He didn’t know what he was doing, he didn’t have a recollection of what he did, and Shane had no intention of telling him what happened._

_“But…but…” Jen stuttered, struggling to process this information. “Shane, you have to tell him how you feel about him!”_

_Shane just eyed her flatly, his expression no doubt grim. “That’s not going to happen.”_

_“Why not?” she challenged, unwilling to back down so easily. “He clearly feels something for you too. One of you has got to make a move!”_

_“No, he doesn’t. And I’m not willing to risk ruining our friendship for something like this…”_

_Jen made a frustrated sound, then reached up and grabbed Shane’s collar. She pulled it to the side, and was surprised anew by the two vibrant bruises coloring Shane’s pale skin._

_“Shane, people don’t give friends hickeys.”_

_Shane fixed his shirt again, avoiding Jen’s stern stare._

_“People don’t bite their friends just because they’re drunk.”_

_“It doesn’t mean anything,” Shane mumbled, looking at anywhere but Jen._

_“You have such a good chance that Ryan cares about you the same way you care about him. Shane, we see both of you—we see how you act around each other. You've got to take this chance—”_

_“I don’t want a chance,” Shane almost hissed under his breath. “I don’t…I… I want what we have. Friendship. Warmth. Happiness. I’m…I can’t throw that away just because I can’t keep my thoughts to myself.”_

_Jen looked at him like her eyes were going to bug out of her skull. “Can you hear yourself? I can’t believe you’re actually hearing yourself say these things.”_

_“I’m scared, okay?” Shane blurted out, unable to stand the feeling of being cornered. “I’m scared that you’re wrong, that Ryan can only ever see me as a friend, and I ruined it because I told him I have feelings for him. You can’t know how that feels like…”_

_For once, Jen was at a loss for words. She just stood there quietly for a while, watching Shane intently. Shane still felt like he was both relieved and fucked. He just wanted to be alone. He wanted to go home and sleep. Or better yet, he wanted to go back to his desk and poke fun at Ryan while he tried to edit some portions of their episodes. They already had an editing team—Ryan insisting to edit some parts of the episode was really just an excuse to banter nonstop with Shane about how they can manipulate the vibe of the show depending on how you edit scenes. They push and pull, push and pull, just to make sure that the episode did not end up being too Boogara or too Shaniac._

_He wanted to be beside Ryan. That was enough._

_“How long are you going to hide this?” Jen finally asked after a while. "How long are you keeping your feelings a secret?"_

_“I don’t know.”_

_When she spoke again, it was with a softer tone. “Will these feelings ever go away?”_

_“I really don’t think so.”_

_“Oh…fuck.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C O M M E N T S P L E A S E <3


	5. It's Now or Never

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!!! XD Alright, so here's the thing. Right after I posted Chapter 4, I went on a 2-week vacation with my fiance! We went to a different country and all, lol. So obviously this gal couldn't write while on vacation. I would have been able to post a few days ago...except we got a freaking flash flood! But I'm here now, lol. Hopefully, Chapter 6 will be out soon as well? Also, I quit lying to myself. The truth is, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CHAPTERS IT WILL BE, lol. Right now, based on the plot guide I have, it's projected to end at Chapter 7/8. Plus I'll do an extra chapter for giggles, lol.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy reading, and please don't forget to comment! <3
> 
> I'm so proud of the boys, they have their own channel now. Pluuuus....spring cleaning! <3

_Ryan swallowed nervously as he put his hands on the edges of Shane’s denim jacket, his heart hammering inside his chest as he tried to tell himself that he was only doing this so Shane can sleep comfortably._

_“Come on, man…you gotta help me out here,” Ryan groaned as he slowly peeled the heavy fabric off of Shane’s shoulders._

_“Nnngghh,” Shane moaned huskily as the denim gradually parted with his tall frame, to Ryan’s shock. He was so surprised at the unexpectedly arousing sound that his grip on Shane’s collar slipped altogether and he almost fell on top of the half-unconscious guy._

_“What the fuuuuuck…” he whispered to himself over and over as he leaned away from Shane as much as he can without letting go of the guy, trying to slow down the telltale rush of blood that was making his pants grow more uncomfortable by the minute._

_Ryan almost decided to just leave it and let Shane drift off to sleep as is, but the crease on the man’s forehead—which Ryan couldn’t help but attribute to the uncomfortable tightness of that favorite jacket of his—was more than enough to convince him to carry on with the task at hand._

_“Jesus Christ, man… Just shut up for a second,” Ryan grumbled half-heartedly as he pulled the jacket off of his co-host after a few minutes of maneuvering his long limbs around, all while enduring increasingly sexual-sounding moans and groans from the half-lidded Shane._

_For a moment, Ryan just stood there and stared at his best friend. He looked sort of beautiful, lying in bed surrounded by pillows and puffy blankets, dressed so sharply and yet looking so vulnerable and soft in his sleepy state. Ryan wanted to smack his head on a nearby wall, unable to deny even to himself the fact that he was sporting an erection while staring at his passed-out colleague. Well, okay, it was kind of Shane’s fault, with all that moaning and stuff…but still._

_Ryan sighed. “Sweet dreams, Shane.”_

_Without opening his eyes, Shane slowly raised his hand towards Ryan, as if reaching out for him. And for a moment there, Ryan froze, unsure whether he should move away or touch the very tempting hand. Shane’s muffled whimper made up his mind for him._

_Ryan slowly reached out for Shane’s hand and hesitantly brushed his fingertips against the other’s—not quite a full touch, just a gentle murmur of skin against skin. His cheeks burned at the thought of wanting to just grab that hand completely and pull Shane close to him, but that would be doing exactly what he set out NOT to do from now on. No more misunderstandings, remember?_

_…if they were to hold hands—or anything at all—he wanted it to happen very clearly. Not when one of them was asleep._

_“Ryan…” Shane breathed in his sleep, his pinched expression relaxing into contentedness._

_“Unfair, man…” Ryan exhaled shakily, turning around and walking away before anything else could happen and change his mind. He desperately wanted to go to the comfort room and…take care of some things, but he decided that was just going to be counterproductive at this point. “Give me a break, jeez.”_

_Ryan was almost out the door when he remembered he had to grab Shane’s phone and wallet if he still wanted to carry on with today’s prank. He paused at the very edge of the room, where the light from outside the studio touched the somewhat comfortable darkness inside, and he thought long and hard about what he wanted to do. It wasn’t so much about whether to continue the prank as it was about whether or not he can handle having to fish for Shane’s phone inside the pockets of his jeans. That was temptation incarnate right there, and he didn’t know whether he had it in him to resist._

_Ryan glanced at the lanky figure on the bed, his mind playing a few chosen clips of its own volition—this time, the theme being sleep. He had seen Shane sleep hundreds of times. He had watched the guy in all phases of sleep-related stuff. Yawning. Getting drowsy. Eyes closing without consent. Changing into pajamas. Light naps. Deep sleep. Dreaming. Tossing and turning. Still as a rock. Halfway between dreaming and waking. Eyes blinking open. Waking up with a soft buttery smile. Getting out of bed. The list goes on and on._

_He had seen Shane sleep soooo many times, some of them happening on his shoulders or on his very lap. But somehow, this scene before him made his nerves sing with a brand new emotion he couldn’t say he had felt before. Or maybe he did…but this was the first time he was clearly, absolutely, painfully aware of it._

_He had this uncontrollable urge to go to Shane’s side and stay there. It felt...wrong to be so far away._

_Ryan exhaled deeply, realizing he had so much to think about. And he was going to think about them. Just…one thing at a time. Right now, there was something he must do._

_In the end, he was able to grab the two items and leave the room in a matter of seconds, the entire thing compressed into nothing but a mad blur of tempting thoughts and frustrating resolutions in his restless mind. How he managed to do it was unknown to him—it was a miracle he was able to do it on auto-pilot, too. But resisting temptation demanded sacrifices. He definitely had a migraine by the time he sat down in front of his desk, Shane’s stuff safely stowed in his locker. He buried his face in his hands as he waited for his computer to boot up._

_There really was no denying it, was there? He’s definitely attracted to Shane._

_Just putting it to words like that was making his heart pound faster. And…as if that wasn’t enough, the lower half of his body casually and mercilessly reminded him that he was also very much aroused by his best friend._

_He tried to distract himself by hastily typing out an email asking people to forward all of Shane’s work-related calls and messages to him for the day, but of course that didn’t work. He doubted anything would work. How exactly does anyone distract themselves from realizing they felt more than friendship for their best friend—who is a man, and a colleague at that—after several years of forging a bond so close even he wasn’t sure where normal friendship ended and where ‘something more’ began. The line between the two was blurred beyond recognition._

_…hell, did it even exist to begin with?_

_Was Shane ever truly ‘just a friend’ to him? Did friends normally have a spare key to your apartment? Did friends buy you coffee every morning, without being asked for it, without fail? Did friends sleep over at each other’s place as much as they did? Did friends spend birthdays together exclusively? Did friends...feel this way?_

_Ryan tried to recall whether he had any other friends who were as close to him as Shane was. It didn’t take long for him to realize that the answer was no. He hated people being in his business. He was a very private person, despite their job. He found it incredibly hard to tolerate people poking their noses in his personal affairs. He didn’t like anyone else being in his apartment._

_…except Shane._

_Ryan moved on to the next question—was there ever a time when Shane treated him differently? Because…it was very much possible that Shane was simply like this. Maybe he was just such a hands-on friend, if there was a thing like that._

_The answer to that couldn’t be more obvious than the sun on a clear day. Shane had always been this way. Okay, so maybe there was a time when he wasn’t as close, but that was literally back when they were both still interns. They have just met. They occasionally worked together on small projects, during which they had the time to get to know each other a bit. After that…Shane had always been the way he was to Ryan. Sweet, caring, skeptical, and…very Shane-like._

_Ryan would have posited that another question was relevant—maybe Shane was like this to everyone else?—but he already knew the answer to that before he could even formulate the question in his own head. Shane was…obnoxiously aloof. He was social enough, charming enough, charismatic enough to endear himself to the crowd, but Shane was never the type to get too close to anyone. In some ways, he was a lot more private than Ryan was. So, no…Shane definitely didn’t treat anyone else the same way he did Ryan. Not to his knowledge, at least._

_So Shane treated him special…was the obvious conclusion, but Ryan couldn’t just assume that. Not when he was attracted to the guy. Rose-colored lens and all that._

_“What am I supposed to do now…?” he groaned to himself as he leaned back on his chair, the email already sent. There was no turning back from the prank now—which only made him feel more anxious, because NOW he wasn’t sure whether this was the right thing to do or not. He got this nagging feeling in his gut that he was going about this the wrong way, but he couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it. He needed Shane. He needed Shane’s input. Together, there was no unanswerable question, no unsolvable problem. But…when the problem revolved around Shane, he had no choice but to make do with his own brain. “Oh man, this sucks…”_

_He couldn’t even tell when this all started. It was almost as if he just woke up out of nowhere, suddenly hyperaware of Shane’s presence. They still talked about the same things, still did the same things, and yet it all felt so different to him now. Shane looked like he always did, but he seemed so much brighter in Ryan’s eyes lately. He still talked the same, but his voice sounded so much more melodic to Ryan’s ears. He was still the same guy Ryan had always known, and yet everything about him lately made Ryan…happier._

_How was he going to face Shane now? How was he supposed to act now that he’s realized all these things? Was he just supposed to act as if nothing has changed? Normally, he would just be as truthful as possible and confront the issue head-on…but all these realizations happened right as this stupid prank war they had going on messed up their rhythm. Misunderstandings have already caused Shane to shift the way he acted towards Ryan, and Ryan was doing what he must in order to correct that…and realizing how he felt towards Shane in the middle of all this was the polar opposite of what he had set out to do._

_Well…to be fair, it could work out if he just decided to go with the flow and let Shane do what he was already doing. He can be his sweet, caring self, and Ryan can just welcome this new development because he liked Shane anyway. That can be a new starting point…right? They can build from that, right?_

_But…Shane deserved better than that. Ryan already knew that, and he wouldn’t be able to just look the other way._

_It just had to be complicated. Ugh._

_“Stupid fucking prank war…” he muttered angrily to himself, realizing it was his fault they were in this mess to begin with. “Of all the things to screw up on, Ryan.”_

* * *

_Shane felt his heart thud just a bit harder at the sight of Ryan leaning against a railing, delighted eyes wandering all over the long vacant enclosure that once held tigers, the childish joy on his face brighter than anything Shane has ever seen in his life._

_Ryan was…everything._

_He was life, love, and happiness itself. He’s everything that Shane cherished. He never knew falling this hard for someone was possible until he met Ryan. It was scary realizing he thought this much of Ryan, but he couldn’t bring himself to deny it either._

_Of course his sentiment sounded exaggerated. Of course it sounded cheesy. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that. He understood how unbelievable it sounded, to be able to think of someone that you love one-sidedly as “life and love and happiness” made flesh. He hasn’t even known Ryan for that long. Just a few years._

_…but did that change how he felt? No. Not in the slightest._

_It was an incredibly humbling feeling—and a terrifying one too, if he was being honest—realizing that he was capable of feeling this way for someone. Especially someone who was currently…beyond his reach._

_Ryan leaned over the edge as he peered into the depths of the enclosure that was slowly reclaimed by nature, and the artist in Shane couldn’t help but imagine massive wings of bright light extending behind Ryan. It was a truly beautiful sight, only further accentuated by the golden orange glow caressing Ryan’s muscular build as the sun set behind him. The dying sunlight painted him so beautifully, reminding Shane of a gilded white rose._

_He looked like an angel, Shane thought. And in some ways, he truly was one—Ryan was one of the kindest, purest souls that Shane had ever encountered. He wished he could preserve the moment and enjoy this sight for as long as he could._

_…a picture. He had to take a picture! His phone camera can never capture the staggering sight that was Ryan, but it was something. He wanted to have whatever he could. And if he ever got around to editing it to resemble the breathtaking image he was seeing in his mind, he can show it to Ryan and be rewarded by the usual embarrassed—and yet, still boisterous—laughter that Ryan always laughed whenever Shane came up with a Photoshopped image of him._

_“Wait, what…?” Shane frowned as he dug his hand into his pocket. Confused, he palmed his other pocket, but his phone wasn’t there either. “Oh…”_

_Ryan following him all morning, Ryan’s strange behavior after his nap, Ryan being way more clingy than usual, Ryan’s eyes never leaving him for too long all day, Ryan being chattier than he already usually was…it all made sense now._

_Shane wondered for a moment how and when Ryan could have taken his phone. He arrived at the answer almost immediately. He didn’t exactly make it difficult for Ryan, with him passing out and all. Which means…Ryan took it from his pocket while he was sleeping._

_Shane couldn’t help but glance down at his jeans. He teased Ryan all the time for wearing ripped jeans, calling him a hipster, and Ryan countered by pointing out that Shane wore tighter jeans than he did._

_Shane’s imagination perked up at the thought of Ryan digging through his pockets as he slept. How hard did Ryan try before he managed to fish the phone out? Was he careful in doing it? Did he take his time? Or did he bank on the fact that Shane was knocked out and probably wouldn’t wake despite being jostled? What were Ryan’s thoughts as his hands ventured so closely to Shane’s…to his thighs? What face did he make…?_

_Shane bit his lip as he attempted to get a grip on his thoughts._

_“You okay, man?” TJ asked, having just finished unpacking the lights they were going to use for when it became dark._

_“I’m okay. Everything’s fine,” Shane reassured him, standing up straight. It was, for the most part, true—at the very least, he didn’t feel sleepy anymore._

_TJ just raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. I’m gonna go set these up on the other side, you guys can just take a break for now.”_

_“…oh. Is that so?” A thought, a brilliant one, occurred to Shane as he thought some more about Ryan’s latest idea of a prank. “Alright, Teej. See you in a bit.”_

_The assistant director walked away, shaking his head ever so slightly. Shane always thought TJ could read his thoughts, and nothing has happened yet to change that assumption. The guy, who was also skeptic by nature but in a different way than Shane was, always seemed to know when Shane was thinking about Ryan. Maybe Shane was just obvious. Or maybe not. It didn’t matter._

_He started walking towards Ryan, who was now standing on the opposite side of the road. He appeared to be examining the rusty old signs on the wall, probably interested in knowing what other animals were kept in this zoo when it was still open._

_Ryan probably thought it was funny to take his phone, obviously undeterred by the fact that Shane always kept it in his pocket. So, it was only fitting that Shane did the same to him._

_Ryan looked at Shane as he approached, and gave him a curious smile. Such an innocent guy._

_Without saying anything, Shane wrapped a hand around Ryan’s arm and swung him around so that his back was on the wall. What Shane didn’t expect was Ryan getting caught by surprise so much that his body offered close to no resistance, resulting into Shane’s measured move still causing him to slam his back on the old rock wall with enough force to make him tremble with a shot of instinctive fear. His black eyes widened as he took in Shane’s carefully blank expression._

_If it was any other day, Shane would have stopped whatever was happening and asked Ryan if everything was alright. But right now, he knew that Ryan was fine. And, quite frankly, he knew that Ryan enjoyed being scared. If it wasn’t for the sexual connotations of the topic, he would have already brought up the topic of how Ryan seemed to have masochistic tendencies a long time ago._

_Shane put both hands on Ryan’s shoulders and pushed him to the wall, his eyes locked on to those jet-black irises of his._

_Ryan’s lip quivered as he opened his perfect mouth. “…Shane?”_

_Shane wanted to tell Ryan that he was also surprisingly sadistic. He must know what effect he has on Shane, and yet he never seemed to hold back. Like right now. Shane was fairly certain he was already half-hard, and yet Ryan still whispered his name with undiluted seduction._

_…wait, that wasn’t right._

_“Shut up,” Shane whispered, trying to quell his wild imagination. Ryan wasn’t seducing him—he was just helplessly, hopelessly in love with the guy. Just because he found his scaredy cat of a co-host devilishly hot didn’t mean Ryan was doing it on purpose. In fact, most of Ryan’s words and actions probably didn’t really get much of a thought beforehand. Ryan was very straightforward like that. Clumsy and careless, sure. But also raw and honest._

_Shane remembered what he was supposed to be doing when Ryan shifted ever so slightly._

_He steeled his gaze as his hands trailed downwards slowly, watching Ryan’s eyes grow rounder by the second. The deep black of his eyes was offset nicely by the bright red dusting his cheeks._

_For a moment there, Shane was surprised that Ryan hadn’t kicked him off and punched him in the face yet. He was honestly surprised to be able to get away with doing this. So much was his surprise that it seemingly disabled the more rational part of his brain, and he decided he was going to push it as far as he could._

_He looked down at where his hands currently rested on Ryan’s waist. He was supposed to be looking for his phone, right? And where else can a phone be but in his pockets?_

_Shane slowly put his hands on either side of Ryan’s hips and pressed down, testing Ryan’s reaction. He didn’t know what he expected, but it was certainly not the high-pitched sound that escaped Ryan’s lips._

_“Shane…wait,” Ryan pleaded breathlessly, his whole face red. He was trembling, and his hands have unconsciously latched on to Shane’s arms for support. “What are you doing—?”_

_The next few moments tested Shane’s limits so much he almost just pushed Ryan back against the wall, pinned him with his own body, and kissed the living daylights out of him. Oh, he wanted to do it. He wanted to so badly. How could he not when Ryan was looking up at him with dangerous amounts of anticipation burning in those beautiful black eyes of his, his strong build humming with tension? It didn’t help either that Ryan’s strong grip on his arms pretty much held him locked in place._

_Shane had never felt the desire to taste those lips as strongly as he did now. The overwhelming need to feel Ryan was making him dizzy. He had to resist… He had to, but that was a losing battle._

_He released Ryan’s pelvis and slowly but steadily brushed his fingers up and down Ryan’s muscular thighs, right where a phone would potentially be if he had it on him. One pass was enough for him to determine that Ryan had nothing in his pockets, but Shane couldn’t stop himself. He wanted more…_

_Shane snapped out of it when Ryan let out a breathy whimper, his frame shaking involuntarily. His eyes glistened with moisture as he continued to look at Shane with an increasingly frantic expression, unable to tear his gaze away. Those eyes, Shane thought, were going to be his downfall. Any more of it and Shane would definitely do something he would regret._

_Almost as if his body moved on its own, Shane grabbed Ryan’s wrist and spun him around. He made sure Ryan wasn’t going to turn around and train those wide eyes on him again with his whole arm—his hand tight on Ryan’s shoulder, his elbow pressed against his back. He couldn’t even spare a thought for whether or not his elbow was hurting Ryan—his brain was practically short-circuiting with desire and sexual frustration. All the lust he had been repressing was overwhelming him right now, and only the thought that they weren’t alone right now was stopping his control from snapping completely. He held on to his sanity by a hairsbreadth…_

_His other hand moved instinctively when he saw Ryan’s arm jerk, reaching up to grab that arm and restrain it. But his hand-eye coordination clearly suffered from the onslaught of desire, and his hand accidentally smacked against Ryan’s butt instead._

_Ryan yelped this time, his voice hoarse with restraint. “Shaaaane!”_

_It was as if Ryan’s voice was an electric surge delivered directly to Shane’s brain. He immediately let go of his best friend without even thinking about it, his brain handing down orders that seemed pre-determined by some subconscious decisions that straight up by-passed his consent, all while it attempted to jumpstart itself back into reality. Shane winced as his head protested—his reaction time was so fast, instantaneous really, that it literally made him dizzy._

_The moment his arm left Ryan’s back, his co-host dropped straight to the ground, trembling._

_His overprotective instinct kicked in instantly at the sight of Ryan in distress, desire and desperation momentarily forgotten, and he carefully pulled Ryan back up to his feet._

_“What the hell…?” Ryan demanded, tearful eyes trained sharply on Shane._

_Shane felt his heartbeat falter. Was Ryan…angry? His intense expression was hard to read. Shane had never seen this expression on Ryan before, and he didn’t know what to make of it._

_“What was that about?” Ryan asked hoarsely, his tone colored by an emotion that Shane couldn’t put a finger on—it sounded like bewildered anger, but also like excited fear, mixed in with confusion and anticipation._

_After a moment of hasty thinking, Shane decided that it mostly resembled Ryan’s voice when he started freaking out in haunted locations. And when Ryan was scared, the best and most effective course of action for Shane was to act all cool and make a joke of something. Just be his usual asshole self, for lack of a better way to put it._

_“Where is it, Ryan?” he asked slowly, putting on a persona he hoped passed off as intimidating at the moment. He usually took pride in his voice acting, but he wasn’t exactly in tip-top shape right now._

_Ryan’s eyes, as much as Shane thought it impossible, grew even wider. So maybe his intimidation was working...? He pressed on._

_“Come on, Ryan,” he murmured, enunciating Ryan’s name clearly. “Give it to me.” …no pun intended._

_Ryan’s face froze in what Shane recognized to be his ‘processing mode.’ Shane could work with that. He gave Ryan another hint._

_“Don’t make me force it out of you.” He smiled at Ryan sweetly, hoping this would point the guy in the right direction. And sure enough, confusion and suspicion colored Ryan’s expression at an exponential rate._

_“What are you…” Ryan started mumbling, his eyebrows pushing together as he glared at Shane. The confusion cleared in one fell swoop as something seemed to click in his mind. His face turned red again with embarrassment. “IS THIS ABOUT YOUR GODDAMNED PHONE??”_

_And just like that, the air between them returned to normal. Shane was able to distract himself from the greedy desire long enough for the feeling to die down, and he quickly put a lid on it by focusing on the present. Ryan, who was vibrating with tension and other emotions wholly unknown to Shane, easily slipped back into their usual routine of banter._

_Shane sighed quietly in relief. That was way too close…_

_“I got you!” he grinned cheekily at an increasingly chagrined Ryan. He felt so much better now, like a dark cloud hovering above him had disappeared._

_And because he couldn’t help it, not when Ryan looked so comically confused and flabbergasted, he laughed out loud. His laughter seemed to incense Ryan even more, which only made everything funnier. And before he realized it, he was already in tears. The relief of having avoided a disastrous screw-up, along with the heady feeling of being able to touch Ryan that much, unexpectedly made him hysterical._

_…but really, it was mostly because Ryan’s face was so funny at the moment._

_Ryan’s face couldn’t be any redder. “Shane, you ass!!!”_

* * *

_Ryan looked at Shane curiously, wondering what on Earth was going on inside his tall buddy’s head. He just showed up outside Ryan’s door early this morning—Shane was obviously developing a habit of doing this on Sundays, and Ryan realized that he had been subconsciously keeping his Sundays free as a result—and told Ryan they were going somewhere. Ryan half-expected to see cameras behind Shane, never mind that Shane was never the type to do ambush videos. But it was just him and his cheery smile._

_And now Shane was driving towards some unknown location, looking coolly amused just like always._

_“Really, Shane. Where are we going?” Ryan asked for the sixth time since they left his place._

_Shane just shook his head, grinning. “You don’t get tired, do you?”_

_“I’m never gonna stop asking until you tell me,” Ryan threatened with a cocky smile of his own, getting ready to be as annoying as possible._

_“Then I hope you enjoy disappointment,” Shane snickered._

_“Yooooou! You son of a bitch!” Ryan burst out laughing. “Did you—did you just quote Edward?!”_

_“Surely you can’t diss me for my movie quotes seeing as you knew exactly who and what I referenced.”_

_Ryan raised an eyebrow at him—Shane made a good point. Huh. Well then… “So are you Team Edward then?”_

_He didn’t have a clue what Shane might say, nor did he really expect a serious answer, so Shane’s response was a pleasant surprise. “I guess you can call me Team Switzerland.”_

_“Huh…”_

_“I don’t know if I wanna believe in love at first sight, you know? Or really…it was lust at first sight. Or you can say…thirst at first sight, hahaha!”_

_Ryan bit back a snicker, eager to hear the rest of Shane’s explanation. Shane didn’t talk much about his romantic views, so this was rare. Rare enough that Ryan was willing to shut up and let the guy talk without teasing him relentlessly._

_“…so, I don’t know how relatable I find Edward. It doesn’t really resonate with me. Or maybe their portrayal just doesn’t move me, I’m not sure. lt could easily be that. On the other hand…Jacob sorta falls under the best friend category. I’m all for best friends turned into lovers, but I don’t know if Jacob really matches that definition to a T. He was more like a rebound, you know? Rebounds never end well.”_

_Ryan was definitely seeing a different side of Shane right now. “That’s deep, man. But actually, that makes sense.”_

_“I guess I’m in the middle because…both sides have their good points and their bad points. All in all though, I just wouldn’t wanna choose one. I kinda hate both. Sucks to be Bella, I guess.”_

_“I can’t believe we’re discussing Twilight,” Ryan laughed, shaking his head. “On a Sunday morning too. On the way to an unknown location.”_

_“A secondary location,” Shane corrected, wagging his eyebrows at Ryan._

_“Eyes on the road, Sasquatch!”_

_Shane rolled his eyes. “The light is red, Ryan. We’re literally not moving.”_

_“But still,” Ryan insisted half-heartedly._

_“Is this why you always insist on driving?” Shane asked, watching the road carefully—and maybe a little bit exaggeratedly—as the light turned green again. “Is Ryan Bergara actually a control freak?”_

_Ryan bit his lip. He wouldn’t call himself one, but he could kinda see why it might seem that way. “I have the traits, I suppose.”_

_He expected Shane to immediately hone in on this juicy piece of information he wasn’t even sure why he admitted to easily, but Shane said nothing else. He just kept on driving, eyes on the road like Ryan said, whistling occasionally. And if Ryan was being honest, he would tell Shane it was unbelievable that he was actually whistling the Hotdaga’s season finale. But as Shane pointed out earlier, that would betray the fact that he recognized the source, which was just as bad as referencing it!_

_“Shane, where are we going?”_

_“You’re still asking that?” Shane chuckled. “Stubborn little guy.”_

_Ryan’s brows pushed together as he started recognizing the route more and more. It’s been a while since he last went there—which was not unexpected, given their tightly packed work schedule—but there was no mistaking the route._

_“Shane, are we going to Disneyland?”_

_The smile on Shane’s face was genuine and warm as he shook his head. “You really had to guess, huh?”_

_Ryan’s jaw went slack as he took in the indirect yes. “But why…?”_

_“Uhhhm…” Shane trailed off, picking up speed as he drove towards one of the parking lots._

_“Shane.”_

_“Well, you seemed really down and stressed out,” he said. “I figured you needed to unwind after the shoot. This felt like the best way to do it.”_

_Ryan leaned back on his seat as he pondered this answer. They shot an episode for Unsolved last Friday—it was a location in California where a cult-based mass suicide happened in the 90s. The mansion looked modern enough that Ryan didn’t feel too spooked on the onset, but by the end of the night, he had never regretted anything more than he regretted making that assumption. The whole house creaked nonstop during the night. Very faint whispers—it sounded like people discussing something in hushed tones—could be heard all throughout the house. Everyone heard it—TJ was very antsy during the shoot, Devon bit her nails nonstop, and Mark looked spooked despite not saying anything._

_Everyone but Shane._

_Ryan got really angry at some point, initially thinking that Shane was just denying it on purpose, but the look of shock and hurt on Shane’s face convinced him that Shane was being truthful. And the most frustrating part was that none of the relentless whispering was caught on any audio device they were using. It was a bad night, all in all. Everyone was scared, his temper flared up, they didn’t manage to catch evidence of the most intense ghost phenomenon they have ever encountered, and he felt rotten for getting angry at Shane._

_Ryan felt his heart sink at the memory of Shane’s face crumpling after Ryan pretty much yelled at him. Just recalling how his face looked as the cheerful smile died slowly and his eyes darted around with a lost expression made Ryan feel like he was going to throw up._

_“I’m really sorry about that night, man…” he said quietly, suddenly unable to look at Shane. He could feel his palm getting sweaty as guilt made him feel like shit again._

_“Ryan, stop,” Shane cut him off, his head jerking to the side as if to look at Ryan. “I told you it was fine. I didn’t mind. I’m not even mad. There’s nothing, absolutely nothing, to be sorry about. Okay?”_

_Ryan just bit his lower lip. He couldn’t agree with that, but he wasn’t going to insist on it either when all it did was make Shane plead with him that everything was okay. Because it clearly wasn’t okay. Shane didn’t see his own face that night. He didn’t realize how wrong it felt for Ryan to make Shane look like that, especially when he did nothing wrong. He just didn’t hear the spooky stuff—a lot of people miss these kinds of things. Maybe he was ghost-proof after all, who knew?_

_“Ryan,” Shane exhaled, pulling into a parking space without Ryan realizing that they were already there. Shane turned around to look at him straight as soon as the car stopped. “Ryan, I mean it. Stop.”_

_Ryan looked down at his lap, feeling remorseful. “I dunno, man. I really feel bad…”_

_“Please?”_

_Ryan looked up again to see what kind of expression Shane was making as he said that softly. Shane… He had a soft, vulnerable smile. But at the same time, he looked so sad. Wistful. It didn’t make sense._

_It didn’t make sense…but the way Shane looked at Ryan was mesmerizing. It almost felt…surreal._

_“Ryan?”_

_Ryan snapped out of his thoughts and looked away quickly, his heartbeat fluttering for reasons he wasn’t entirely aware of._

_“Are you alright, buddy?”_

_“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Ryan assured him, putting on a smile. Shane raised an eyebrow at him, as he always did when he detected Ryan’s forced smiles, but let it slide. “Speaking of Disney though, this isn’t bad. It’s been a while since I last went, and it actually sounds like a fun thing to do today!”_

_“Yeah, I heard you complaining last month about how you missed it, so here we are,” Shane explained as they got out and started walking towards the entrance. “Should be fun, yeah?”_

_“That reminds me!” Ryan exclaimed as they approached the entrance. “I haven’t renewed my Disney Passport when it expired.” He started pulling out his wallet to see if he had enough cash on him for tickets. Maybe he could take care of their tickets today, as an apology for yelling at Shane._

_“Uhhh, actually,” Shane started, looking at Ryan sheepishly._

_“What?” Ryan asked, watching Shane fidget ever so slightly. He recognized that face… That was the face of a Shane that did something he shouldn’t have. “Oh my God, what did you do?”_

_Shane reached behind him and pulled something out of his back pocket. And when he showed it to Ryan, Ryan could swear he felt himself sway on the spot._

_“…a Disney Passport?!”_

_Shane just shrugged, then grabbed Ryan’s hand and wrapped his fingers around the card. “Yep.”_

_Ryan’s words were tripping over themselves, coming out of his mouth in a nonsensical order. “But… What… Did you… Is this…?”_

_“One thought at a time, buddy,” Shane smiled, leading Ryan to one side of the wall so they weren’t standing in the middle of the open space._

_Ryan inspected the card again, his gears starting to turn. “Is this a Signature Plus?”_

_Shane nodded cheerfully._

_“B-but why…?”_

_“Well, we never know when we can actually get the time to go, so we need to be covered all year!”_

_Shane’s answer only bred more questions in Ryan’s mind, but like Shane said, one thought at a time._

_“But…I mean, why get me one at all?”_

_Shane didn’t miss a beat. “Next question.”_

_“What the hell…?” Ryan gaped at him, his hand still frozen on the card. His brain was still malfunctioning with surprise, so he decided to argue with Shane later. “You said ‘we’…”_

_Shane pulled another card out of his back pocket and showed it to Ryan. “I got myself one too.”_

_“But why??” Ryan sounded like a broken record, and he had the feeling it wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. “You don’t even like theme parks that much!”_

_Shane studied him for a moment, then he put the card back in his pocket and grinned at Ryan. “Next question.”_

_Ryan picked out the next most pressing question. “When did you get it?”_

_Shane paused for a moment as he thought about it. “Pretty much soon after I heard you tell Steven about missing going to Disneyland. You already mentioned before that that your pass has expired.”_

_“You dropped over two grand on Disney tickets? What’s going on, Shane?”_

_“Next—”_

_“Stop saying that like a madman and answer the question, jeez!”_

_Shane’s lips pressed together, his expression contemplative. “It’s no big deal, Ryan. We make enough.”_

_Ryan switched on his debate mode, determined to figure out what Shane was thinking. “Going by that argument, I could have just bought the ticket myself. Which is what I planned to do anyway. I was just…waiting for the right time, I suppose.”_

_“Uh huh,” Shane said, looking smug. “I seem to remember you saying you’re cutting back on expenses because you brought your car to the shop for some modifications that you’ve been wanting for a while now.”_

_Ryan winced, realizing his argument already failed on the first round—Shane was actually right. “I just don’t know why you would do this.”_

_Shane started to say something, but he stopped himself. Then he sighed, glanced at his watch theatrically, and turned to Ryan with an exaggerated yawn. “Are we going to spend the day here admiring the wall, or are we going to go in and have a fun Sunday date, Bergara?”_

_Ryan frowned at him, unwilling to let the matter go so easily._

_“You can pout all you want, Ryan. But pouting isn’t as fun as riding rollercoasters. Just saying.”_

_“You’re crazy, Shane.”_

_Shane’s eyes crinkled as he flashed Ryan one big smile. “Only for you, baby.”_

_“Jesus,” Ryan shook his head. “You’re out of your mind, I swear.”_

_“After spending so much time listening to your ghost shenanigans, what did you expect?”_

_“…well, thanks.”_

_“…oh. Well, you’re welcome.”_

_“Disneyland is supposed to be haunted, right?”_

_“Ugh, not this again, Ryan…”_

_Ryan laughed out loud as they walked in, Shane right beside him as the familiar sight of the happiest place on Earth greeted them._

* * *

_Shane looked at Ryan thoughtfully as they finished up with their Disney-themed dinner. They were in a somewhat secluded booth in the cozy-looking restaurant that they picked out once their stomachs started demanding food loudly after roaming around Disneyland for hours on end. He had originally planned to do this while they were walking on some deserted area, but Disneyland was never deserted, and now was just as good as any moment._

_“Ryan,” he started, making sure Ryan was paying attention. “You’re a good guy. We always have lots of fun together, and I really enjoy working with you, especially on Unsolved.”_

_Ryan put his glass down, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed nervously. Shane bit back a smile, determined to keep a serious expression on._

_“I’ve never met anyone more passionate and more dedicated to his work than you are. You’re truly an amazing video producer.”_

_“What is this about now, Shane?” Ryan asked with a frozen expression, his black eyes fixed on Shane._

_Shane decided the moment was right—he pulled out a small box from his jacket and put it on the table in front of his co-host._

_Ryan’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he stared at the tiny velvet box. “Shane…?”_

_Shane had to bite the inside of his cheek to maintain the serious expression. “Ryan, we’ve been goofing around for a few years now. I’d like to think I’ve gotten to know you well during the time we’ve spent together.”_

_Ryan’s mouth formed a really comical O as he stared at Shane in bewilderment, which was the best reaction Shane could hope for. He honestly expected Ryan to be running away now. Or worse, flipping the table at him and throwing punches._

_Shane cleared his throat for dramatic effect and took the box. He opened it carefully to reveal a simple but shiny silver band. “Ryan, will you—”_

_“Are you serious??”_

_He held up a finger to shush Ryan. “Rude. You gotta let me finish, buddy.”_

_“But—”_

_“As I was saying… I’ve realized this recently, and thought I’d do something about it. Ryan, will you—”_

_Ryan jumped up to his feet—involuntarily, it seemed—his expression very much like that of a deer caught in headlights. “Shane!”_

_“—use this key ring to hold your car keys in?”_

_Shane pulled the ring out of the box, revealing a hook with leather strappings hidden underneath the foam._

_“What…?”_

_Shane chuckled at Ryan’s comically confused expression. “Really? Again? Well, okayyy. Ryan, will you—”_

_“That’s not what I meant, you ass!”_

_“Wow, you’re really hurting my feelings here, man,” Shane grinned, thoroughly and shamelessly enjoying Ryan’s disoriented and dumbfounded look. “You’ve interrupted my proposal thrice now, and you won’t even give me an answer. And now you’re calling me names? You’re cute, but maybe not that cute.”_

_“I’m…I’m so damn confused right now.”_

_“I’m proposing, Ryan.”_

_“...”_

_Shane mock-sighed as he motioned for Ryan to sit down—which the man did wordlessly. Looked like he was gonna have to explain now. He didn’t get to see Ryan freak out, but that was fine. A speechless Ryan was an unexpected treat instead—the guy rarely shut up, so this was truly a golden reaction. Too bad he decided against filming the reveal._

_“Your key ring broke last week, right?”_

_Ryan’s brain seemed to start working again as soon as he heard a question that was easy to answer. “Yeah, it did.”_

_“And you’re still stuffing your car keys into your pocket?”_

_“…yeah?”_

_“Well, here you go. I got you a replacement.”_

_Ryan’s nostrils started flaring as Shane’s explanation registered. “And…you decided to give me a replacement key ring by putting it in a damn ring box and—and popping it after dinner like you’re on some romantic comedy??”_

_Shane ducked down behind a decorative wall as guests on the adjacent table looked over with glares and annoyed whispers. “Yikes, try to keep it down, man.”_

_Ryan slapped a hand against his face. “Jesus Christ, Shane. Why do you have to be so…so…extra?!”_

_“Extra?” Shane echoed, clutching his stomach as he laughed himself silly. “I was just doing a nice thing for my friend!”_

_“You’re doing a nice thing, packaged in a completely different thing! Really, Shane?? A proposal?! Where did you even get a ring box? Wait, you know what, I don’t even wanna hear about it.”_

_For a few minutes, Shane just watched Ryan alternate between glaring at Shane and checking out the key ring discreetly. When Shane finally felt like he wasn’t going to burst out laughing again, he turned to Ryan and smiled._

_“So, do you accept my proposal?”_

_“I swear to God, Shane—”_

_“Okay, man, okay! Calm down!” Shane chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. “Will you take it?”_

_Ryan glared at him some more._

_“I really did get it for you.”_

_“Uh huh…”_

_Shane sighed and picked up the key ring. It was a really cool design, sleek and elegant. He held it in front of Ryan and jiggled it. “Come on, Ryan. Take it before I propose again. This time, I’ll be kneeling down and all. Right here in this restaurant, I don’t care.”_

_Ryan grabbed it faster than he could blink._

_Shane took a sip of his beer, ignoring Ryan’s seething expression. “I didn’t realize you were so against proposals.”_

_Ryan threw him a dirty look before proceeding to inspect the key ring closely. “I don’t think you understand how proposals work.”_

_“Sure I do. You come up with a concept, and you present it to the other party in a way designed to get them to agree with you! It’s very simple.”_

_Ryan just shook his head, his face flush—it was probably a combination of the beer, nerves, and adrenaline. “You’re insufferable.”_

_Shane shrugged cheerfully, satisfied with how his plan turned out. “Yep, that’s me.”_

_“I dunno how we were able to work together for so long without killing each other.”_

_“Meh, you know you like me. You’d be very sad, not to mention very scared, without me.”_

_“That’s…slightly true. But still!”_

_Shane watched Ryan as he turned the key ring around in his fingers—he knew the guy well enough to recognize approval just from the twinkle in his eyes._

_“So, I take it you like it?”_

_Ryan cracked a grudging smile. “I’ll let you keep guessing on that one, big guy.”_

_Shane smiled to himself. He was never going to tell Ryan that it was sort of a gift for another year of knowing each other. He wasn’t even a sentimental guy, and this was truly out-of-character for him. But it really was another year, and the key ring was just a lucky coincidence. But…it felt nice to be celebrating a date, even though no one else celebrated meeting other people. Not even Ryan._

_“Thank you, Shane.”_

_“Hmm...?”_

_“It’s really nice. Thank you.”_

_“Anytime, buddy.”_

_Ryan was quiet for a moment, and then surprised Shane with a softly-spoken, nostalgia-filled statement._

_“Speaking of goofing around for a while now… It’s been five years since we met at BuzzFeed, huh? Perfect timing for a trip to Disneyland. Did you remember that? Time really flies, wow.”_

_Shane looked down at his lap as he tried not to smile…or tear up. He never imagined Ryan was going to remember. But this was Ryan after all, he supposed. He was sweet and sentimental and thoughtful, among many other things. He valued the things that Shane never looked at twice before. Meeting Ryan has changed him as a person, and he would always be thankful he got the chance to know such an amazing guy._

_“Not that your proposal was relevant or anything, pffff, but…we really had fun, huh? It was a good five years, Shane.”_

_“Yeah, it was.”_

_Ryan took his glass and bumped it against Shane’s. “Well, here’s to more years to come.”_

_This was why he loved Ryan._

* * *

Ryan quietly watched Shane flutter around the apartment, still panicking underneath the surface despite Ryan’s many attempts to tell him that everything was alright now. The soft popping sound of popcorn in the microwave filled the prolonged silence as Ryan sat on Shane’s couch in his brand new pajamas—so he was staying the night, he supposed—surrounded by several flavors of pizza and an assortment of Chinese food. Shane had even offered to go out and buy Chipotle, but Ryan managed to convince him out of that one.

“I have beer and coffee, Ryan,” Shane’s muffled voice came from the direction of the kitchen. “What would you like?”

Ryan sighed again. “Shane... I told you I’m okay. Just come back out here already.”

Shane slipped back into the living room wordlessly and sat opposite Ryan—who was currently surrounded by soft pillows that Shane insisted on putting there, making some sort of giant nest.

“I’m really fine,” Ryan tried again, trying to keep his voice from coming out hoarse and scratchy. He succeeded for the most part, but there was nothing he could do about his puffy eyes. “You don’t have to…do all this.”

Shane wouldn’t look at him directly, but there was no mistaking that dark brooding look on his face.

“Come on, man.”

It was as if Shane didn’t hear a thing he said. “I’m so sorry, Ryan…”

Ryan was running out of ideas—there were only so many times he could say he was okay before the words started losing meaning. But Shane really wasn’t having any of it. He was beating himself up while refusing to listen to anything Ryan said. Stubborn as always. “Shane, I mean it.”

Shane looked up hesitantly to meet his gaze, and the look of regret and guilt in his eyes made Ryan feel like his heart was splintering all over again.

He didn’t even really understand why Shane felt so guilty about it. Yes, it was a prank. Yes, it might have been a tad too much. And yes, Ryan pretty much had a mental breakdown as a result. To be fair though, the bigger part of why he broke down was his own fault—he freaked out at the idea of losing Shane. And there was no way he could just come out and tell Shane about this… But even so, he still thought Shane’s remorse was too much. There was no reason to look so pained—so much that Ryan couldn’t even bring himself to poke fun at him and make light of the situation.

There was so much grief and anguish in Shane’s expression that it literally hurt to look at him.

He tried again, unwilling to let his best friend suffer like this. “Shane, I’m not mad at you.”

Shane met his gaze with hooded eyes. “I know…”

Ryan felt his heart lurch—watching Shane be anything other than his cheerful and skeptical self was…difficult. It was difficult beyond what words can express.

“Shane, you don’t have to feel so guilty about this,” Ryan whispered, his cheeks starting to burn again with the familiar sensation of tearing up involuntarily. “I’m alright, see?”

Shane buried his face in his hands, his long fingers raking through his hair carelessly. “I dunno, Ryan…”

Ryan took deep calming breaths as he thought about how Shane carefully walked him back to his place after that kiss. Ryan had been speechless the entire time because it was all too much to process and his brain had just simply shut down. He wasn’t aware of anything around him, except for the one detail that his rattled mind decided to latch on to for stability and comfort—the firm arm of his best friend wrapped around him as they made their way to Shane’s place.

They didn’t talk on the way. Or maybe Shane did, but Ryan was sure talking was beyond his capabilities during that time. It was all he could do to keep walking and keep himself together.

After reaching Shane’s apartment, Shane quietly led him to the spot where Ryan’s car was parked at. Visually confirming his car was safe triggered some sort of relief in Ryan, and his mind started clearing up more as he told himself over and over that both Shane and his car was right there, safe and sound. But by the time he felt normal enough to hold a conversation, he realized that Shane was standing quite a ways behind him, not moving or making a sound whatsoever.

It was Ryan who had to eventually say something about going in, and Shane just shuffled behind him quietly after snapping out of a daze.

Ryan fidgeted with the sleeves of his pajamas, unsure what to do next. He had little to no experience dealing with misery and dejection. He didn’t know how to make Shane feel better without cracking crude jokes or making funny comments. There was no debate to be had when the issue was something solely between the two of them. He didn’t know what he needed to say or how he had to act, what to do to make things right... This was uncharted territory for both of them.

“Is there anything I can do, Ryan?” Shane asked suddenly, sitting up straight. His hair was a mess, and his eyes still had that wild glint—but it was a little bit closer to what Ryan can recognize. It looked similar to the determined look that Shane always had when he was under pressure and things needed to get done…except Shane looked a bit unhinged right now on top of being determined. “Anything, Ryan. Anything at all. What can I do…?”

Ryan was almost afraid to say no to him, worried that Shane was just going to crash and burn, so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“I’d really love a movie.”

A profound silence followed Ryan’s words. His heart felt like it had jumped to his throat, his thoughts scrambling restlessly inside his head as he worried if he had said the wrong thing.

“A movie…?” Shane echoed softly after a moment, looking up at him with a renewed expression on his face.

“Yep, a movie,” Ryan confirmed quickly, hopeful that he could make that pained expression go away completely. “I’ve been looking forward to it all day, anyway. You…you asked me out, remember?”

Shane perked up for the first time ever since they got home, his eyes coming back to life the tiniest bit as he put Netflix on and started browsing. He didn’t crack a smile like Ryan hoped he would, but his best friend was definitely moving purposefully now. He no longer looked like he was dragging his body alongside Ryan like some kind of zombie, while his mind wallowed in guilt and whatever else darkness lurked beyond what Ryan could see. He just seemed content, relieved almost, to be doing something that Ryan asked for. If Ryan knew his requests would have this effect, he wouldn’t have kept on insisting that he was fine and that Shane didn’t need to do anything. If having Shane do something for him was what was going to make Shane feel better, then great.

“Just choose something light, something we’ve already seen before,” Ryan added after watching Shane hesitate between categories.

“Alright, I can do that,” Shane murmured as he looked at the selection intently.

So…Shane was the type of person who needed to be able to do something, huh? Ryan supposed it was Shane-like—he just never imagined he would be on the receiving end of it. Prior to this stupid prank war, there was never any opportunity for Shane to do something that would truly bother Ryan. At least, not to the point where Shane had to beat himself up over it and make amends. They had the perfect dynamic—they made a fucking good team, okay? Nothing he said or did could possibly offend Shane, just as nothing Shane said or did would ever be too much. They were unbreakable.

…but this damned prank war was turning out to be a storm that was wreaking havoc on their friendship.

Shane eventually decided on Pacific Rim, and Ryan pushed the pillows aside to make way for Shane to sit beside him. When Shane looked like he was going to try to sit somewhere else, Ryan made a face at him and patted the space beside him. It took less than three seconds before Shane sank down on the couch next to him, albeit hesitantly.

They’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times by now. It was a favorite for replays when they needed some background noise while brainstorming for episodes. There was enough going on for it to be visually entertaining, but not too much plot to require their full attention.

Now that Ryan thought about it, this might be the first time in a long time that they sat down to watch a replay without multi-tasking. They only ever really dedicated their full attention to a movie when they were watching new ones, or movies that they both haven’t seen before. As a result, he couldn’t quite focus on the screen.

His mind kept on coming back to those few moments in the parking lot when he was conscious enough to realize that Shane was panicking for reasons Ryan didn’t know yet at the time, and then…and then, when Shane kissed him.

The sensation of Shane’s soft lips pressing against his firmly was burned into his mind with the intensity of a flashbulb memory. He remembered thinking for a moment there that Shane’s lips felt surprisingly full as it moved against his own, quite different from what he thought it would be like considering how thin Shane’s lips were. He remembered the soft moaning sound he made as Shane pulled away from him, his lungs heaving breathlessly as Shane’s eyes bored into his with an expression he had never seen before.

Ryan shivered as the memory made him hyperaware of Shane’s presence right beside him.

Shane noticed him tremble and picked up a blanket from the other side of the couch. He shook it out and slowly moved as if to wrap it around Ryan, his eyes on Ryan’s face the entire time. When Ryan didn’t say anything, Shane carefully wrapped the thick fabric around his shoulders and pulled the edges together on Ryan’s lap. Ryan sighed quietly as the soft material brushed against his cheeks—it felt really nice.

Ryan looked at Shane, wanting to say thank you. But Shane wasn’t looking at him anymore, and the light illuminating Shane’s face from only one side made him look like he was brooding. In the muted light, Shane’s eyes were almost black. His facial hair were like deep shadows on his face, and once again, Ryan thought he looked like he was an angel of destruction. A vengeful creature bathed in holy light. It was a very fitting description.

Light glinted in Shane’s eyes as the movie changed from one scene to another, and the mesmerizing sight sent a bone-deep shiver down Ryan’s spine.

Those enthralling eyes were trained on him in no time, shrouded in a worried expression.

“Ryan…?”

Ryan tried to say he was alright, but he was only able to shake his head as Shane turned towards him, his tall figure looming above him like a shadow about to consume him. Another shiver danced across his skin.

Shane wrapped a tentative arm around him, but all Ryan could focus on were Shane’s pale lips. They were currently parted slightly, warm breaths passing through quietly as Shane looked intently at Ryan.

Ryan looked up to meet Shane’s gaze, and he saw the same questions he had reflected in his best friend’s loaded expression.

_Why did you kiss me?_

Ryan instinctively knew that now was the time for questions. And he knew that Shane felt the same way—he knew that even without looking at him. The air was humming with tension, and the words were on their lips, begging to be spoken.

_Are you mad at me, Ryan? Do you like me, Shane? Why haven’t you punched me, Ryan? How did my lips taste like, Shane?_

Ryan could see the unrest and the worry in Shane’s eyes, and he wanted—more than anything—to make it all go away. But where his heart and mind had already recovered thanks to Shane’s grounding warmth, his body vehemently refused to cooperate. His brain refused to form the questions, refused to process any more information. There was still too much shock in his system, and the most his mind can make out of the chaos of his thoughts was the fact that he was okay with being kissed. More than okay. He was thrilled to be kissed by Shane.

That in itself was already a revelation, and his brain promptly refused to work any further.

Ryan looked up searchingly, waiting to see if Shane would say anything. But he didn’t.

Shane just continued to look at him with lonely eyes and a forlorn expression, and Ryan realized that seeing this was tearing his chest apart. He wanted to look away, but he couldn’t. He felt like looking away was no different than abandoning Shane, and he couldn’t do it. Shane didn’t deserve any of this.

He tried to open his mouth again, to say anything at all, but his throat just simply refused to work. All he could do was communicate silently—eyes were windows to the soul, after all—that he was here, he wasn’t going anywhere, and he wanted Shane to smile.

Eventually, a particularly loud explosion from the movie broke the spell, and the moment passed.

Ryan looked back at the screen, but he still couldn’t focus on watching the movie. He was too preoccupied, too worried about Shane, too wound up to pay attention.

Beside him, Shane twitched slightly. Ryan wasn’t sure whether Shane intended to pull him closer, or pull away from him. He didn’t wait to find out—he leaned closer to Shane, unwilling to let go.

There was a slight pause, and then Shane wrapped his arm tighter around Ryan. His thumb traced soothing circles on Ryan’s shoulder, a gesture that Ryan liked more than he thought he would. Shane’s fingers traced lines across his arm gently, and Ryan felt all his worries unravel.

Before he knew it, he was already leaning on Shane’s chest, his cheek buried in the soft blanket as he listened to the steady rhythm of Shane’s heartbeat. He felt safe and secure. He felt comfortable. He felt…home.

They both sat there until the end credits rolled, but Ryan was pretty sure no one actually watched the movie that night.

**Author's Note:**

> .....so how was it? If it was good, kudos please! If it was bad, kudos please! If it was so-so, kudos please! Hahaha! See you on the next chapter. (Is it just me, or are they having more and more fanfic-friendly interactions in their latest episodes of Unsolved? The fangirl in me is weeping with unadulterated joy!!!!)
> 
> PS. Did you know that each scene block I wrote started with Shane's and Ryan's names alternating? Haha, I just thought it was a cool bit!


End file.
